


A Triangle in the Stars

by Vampire_Tails



Category: Gravity Falls, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Gen, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Triangle Bill Cipher, if I say more about Bill it'd be a spoiler, or is it chile tid?, set after chille tid, welcome to an alternate universe, yep you guys find out what's going on for yourself
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:34:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27718931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vampire_Tails/pseuds/Vampire_Tails
Summary: [A collab with a friend.] While the Gems are away, one day Steven "stumbles" upon a new roommate... his life will be turned absolutely upside-down.
Comments: 19
Kudos: 38





	1. The Fateful Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> So this work is an old but gold work, and it was originally on my FF. It's still there of course, but I decided to move it here as well. Hope you enjoy it!~

It was late in the day, and Steven was sitting on the beach with Connie, smiling. No, grinning. He was in the middle of a story, "And then Lars said—" when suddenly the girl's phone rang.

She frowned, held up her forefinger, telling him to be quiet for a second, while she got out her phone, answered, and held it up to her ear. It was quiet for a while, before eventually she sighed, "Yeah, okay," and hung up and put her phone back in her pocket. "I'm sorry, Steven, I've gotta get back home for dinner. I'll see you later!" she got up and began to walk away, leaving Steven alone.

"Bye, Connie..." he sighed. His dad was to drive the girl home, which left him nothing to do. The Gems were also away, on an extremely important mission. So he sat alone on the beach, watching the water lap up at his feet.

A peculiar something, like a triangle of sorts, rose up on the surface of the water in the far, far distance. Steven somewhat noticed this and raised an eyebrow, but otherwise paid it no mind. He watched the setting sun, not wanting to get up and take a closer look. And then suddenly, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone again.

Steven drew a star in the sand, and watched the water smooth it out. He moved up the shore, so the water wouldn't wipe it away again. And then there it was again, sitting on the shore this time, behind the boy, with its hand outstretched. He moved back again, and, this time, he felt the cold stone pressing into him. He jumped up, "Ahh!", before he turned and looked at the strange statue. He reached towards it, tentatively, "Huh...?"

The statue seemed to be beckoning the boy, in a way. It was also very clean despite its travel. But, upon closer inspection, there was a large and deep gash cutting across its eye.

He touched it gently. "How did you get here...?" he asked with wonder, running his hand along one of the sides. He turned his attention to the gash, frowning just a little, tracing the crack slowly.

The statue didn't react. It was just staring at him, silently, that hand still outstretched. An idea came to the boy. He licked his hand, and then slapped it on the fracture, closing his eyes, wondering if it would work, and not at all liking the feel of it. There was no reaction for a bit, but then a golden glow filled the fissure. It soon started to seal, to heal. After a while, it seemed like the statue was brand new.

Steven stood, smiling. He frowned at the statue, "You know what? I'm going to take you home. Maybe you'll keep me company with everyone away." He shrugged and tried to lift the stone.

The stone wasn't heavy at all. In fact, it seemed almost as light as a feather. Then again, it could've just been that way because of the boy's super strength. He heaved it onto his back and began bringing it to the temple, careful not to dent it again. He eventually was able to bring it inside. He dropped it next to the Warp Pad, and rubbed his hands together. "I guess it's just you and me now, little guy." He smiled and went into the kitchen, intending to make himself some dinner.

And then... something started to happen...

The statue glowed rather weakly, the same golden aura that ensued when Steven healed it. And it seemed to turn, very slowly, so that its eye was now facing the kitchen.

Steven decided on the very fancy dinner of hot dogs and some fries from the restaurant down the street. He heated them up in the microwave, and then brought two plates over to the statue. He placed one in front of it, with a hot dog and some fries, about the same amount of food as on his own plate.

"I wonder... what are you, eh?" he bit into his hot dog, staring back at the statue.

The statue was still facing the kitchen, but it wasn't glowing anymore. Somewhat. It still was, but the light was very weak, to the point where it could barely be seen. Steven pushed the plate closer to the statue. "So... I don't know a lot about you. But my name's Steven. What's your name?" he took another bite, smiling a little.

The statue couldn't answer, despite how much the being inside it wanted to answer. In fact, it was trying to find a way to break free with that extra power it was given.

"Do you have a name?" he asked, sadly. He touched it again, gently, and the stone started glowing brighter at his touch, but it was still weak. "I knew a girl once—her name was Lapis Lazuli. She had a broken gem, just like you. She was trapped, just like you. But she got free. She's probably out there, up in the stars now." He sighed, finishing his dinner. He got up, and put the plate in the sink. He returned to the statue.

He noticed the eye had moved, and it seemed to be staring at the food now. Steven nudged the plate closer. He glanced at the statue's outstretched hand. He took a fry and stuck it in it. "Go on, eat. You can, right? or should I turn my back?" he turned away from the statue for a few seconds, before he looked back to see if it had moved.

It was still a statue, only the eye was now focused on the fry in its hand.

"I-I get it. You're just not hungry, is that it? I could just save this stuff for later..." he moved to pick up the plate.

And then suddenly the glow overtook the whole statue. Steven's eyes widened, and he stopped, kneeling on the floor now, almost holding the plate. "Woah..."

Stars sparkled in his eyes. The glow soon died down, revealing a golden triangle with skinny black arms, legs, a black bow-tie and a similarly-colored top hat. And a demonic eye, which was now half-closed. He was kneeling, and his glow was weak. He gazed at the French fry still in his hand.

Steven was speechless for a second, before he stood up and clapped, cheering, "I knew it!"

The triangle lethargically blinked, looking up at Steven, and then looked back at the fry. He soon ate it, and then gazed at the food for a while before he ate that too. All with his eye.

Steven chuckled, "Eww, what's wrong with you?" he smiled, however, glad his new friend was eating, however strangely.

"It's just the way I eat, kid," he spoke, which seemed to surprise him a little bit, hearing his own voice. He didn't even seem to realize he was free.

"Hmm... so what's your name? ...you have a name, right?" he chuckled again, "I mean, that'd be crazy if you didn't..."

"Of course," the triangle nodded slightly, which dizzied him for quite a bit. "Ugh..." he rubbed at his top point, "the name's Bill Cipher. And I bet yours is Steven Quartz Universe..." and he looked up at him again, "am I right?"

He gasped, and his eyes got all starry. "How'd you know that? are you psychic? ...are you another Gem?" the last question was a low whisper, and was only said after Steven looked around the room with shifty eyes.

"A Gem, huh?" Bill chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. "Nah, but I'm something much better! take it from me, I know lots of things!" he still seemed to be a bit drowsy, but at least he was recovering.

"What do you know?" Steven looked upon the little guy with curiosity. "And how did you wash up on Beach City?"

"I know that your legal guardians are aliens from another section of the universe," and then he thought carefully, hand on his "chin". Truth be told, he didn't exactly know how he wound up here. His consciousness was limited and barely existing. Something or _someone_ probably picked him up and attempted to drown him for all he knew, for all he felt for a long while was water. Deep water. Bill soon gave up trying to rationalize it all, and sighed, not bothering to answer with such a humiliating reply.

"How about something I don't know, maybe?" Steven frowned now.

"Well, gee, kid, that's a huge category!" it didn't take him long, however, to grab something and pull it to the forefront, "but I bet you didn't know that those same legal guardians, with one exception, used to fight not for this," and he quickly mumbled, "lousy excuse of a," and then brought his voice back to a volume Steven could hear, "planet, but for their Homeworld. Surprising, right?" he grinned.

 _"Really_? wait... they're aliens?" when Bill had said that before, somehow it had sailed over his head. "They never told me that..."

"It shoulda been quite obvious!" Bill chuckled, "besides, I believe your dad told you a little about them, didn't he?"

He shook his head, not seeming to recall, "No. He didn't. ...but wait, how do _you_ know?" Curiosity got the better of him again.

"Like I said, kid, I know _lots_ of things," the grin on his eye was slick and sleazy. He stood from his kneeling position and started levitating. Even now he was developing a plan to backstab this boy. He seemed far too trusting, and it'd probably be the last lesson he'd ever learn.

"But _how_?" he asked again, frowning, not sure. Not knowing what the little triangular guy was planning. "You're psychic, aren't you? could you teach me?" his eyes had stars in them again.

"I guess you could say I'm psychic," he narrowed his eye a little, staring at the stars in the boy's eyes, "in the past, present, and future. And I don't think I can. It'd break your mind, the things I'd seen."

And then he had this urge to teach Steven, not out of kindness of course, but because he _wanted_ to break him. But it'd be all too quick. He much preferred the slower way.

"Wow... you must have seen some pretty bad things..." Steven proceeded to wrap his arms around the little guy in a hug.

Bill's eye widened with shock for a minute, before he then shrank away, getting out from Steven's grasp and looking fairly disgusted; him getting affectionately touched by a human was unthinkable, much less getting hugged. The urge to blast him was rising. He growled out, "Don't."

Steven stepped back, tearing up, "S-sorry... I thought..." he bit his lip, "I guess you don't like hugs then..." he chuckled, but his heart wasn't in it.

The demon simply glared. Those tears meant nothing to him. The only thing he thought was nice about seeing tears was the fact that they were an indicator of pain and suffering, and that he liked. No. _Loved_.

"I just don't like being touched by sweaty fleshbags... nothing personal," the triangle said, grinning inwardly now.

"Oh. No problem, then?" Steven smiled a little, wiping his wet cheeks.

His brow furrowed. Bill couldn't get it. He just insulted the kid and yet he's _smiling_ and acting like nothing happened?

"Eh, I guess there's no problem, kid," he replied nonetheless, but was still trying to wrap his mind around the child's behavior.

That made his smile broaden. Steven then thought of an idea, "Hey, do you like movies? or shows? I'm kinda bored, the Gems aren't around right now... no one is... so maybe I could introduce you to my favorite show!" he offered, smiling softly.

"Meh. Not like I have anything better to do," Bill replied, scratching at his top point. And it was the truth. He really _didn't_ have anything better to do. He was far away from Gravity Falls, and he didn't have enough energy for the long flight back or even a simple teleportation trick to exact his revenge on the Pines family. So he guessed he'd have to stay with this meatsack a little while longer.

"I'll make us some popcorn!" Steven rushed up to start the first episode of Crying Breakfast Friends, and ran back down to the kitchen to start making food. The demon floated up there and sat on the boy's bed, watching him work now. He then grinned and quietly chuckled evilly, his hellish pupil glowing a dangerous deep blue for only a few seconds...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was Bill Cipher, and Ace, my friend, was Steven and Connie. Hope you enjoyed, and please leave a comment! this story is already "finished", so there will be updates every few days or week. Also, there will be double updates every now and then!


	2. Monstrous Unreality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: GET YO TISSUES AND HAVE THEM NEAR YOU! and there's also quite a bit of blood in this chapter.  
> Yeah, I know, a warning in the second chapter already ahah. Welp, enjoy!  
> Also, double chapter time!~

Steven watched the popcorn pop, still blissfully unaware of what Bill was up to. After a minute or so, he came back up, holding the bag. He sat down and placed it open between of them. Steven watched the TV, grinning and getting into a prone position, "I know the show seems kinda boring, but it gets better as time goes by!" he smiled down at Bill.

"I should hope so," Bill resumed his "innocent" demeanor, eye on the television. He looked up at Steven, somewhat bemused, before he took a bunch of popcorn, ate it, and continued watching the show.

Steven ended up actually falling asleep before the end of the episode. The demon didn't notice this yet, having been partially sucked into the episode by mere curiosity. He ate some more popcorn, humming slightly. Eventually, it ended. Steven was snoring, sound asleep.

And then Bill finally noticed. He looked at the sleeping boy, and his expression morphed into a particularly monstrous one. He wanted to test if he had enough power to warp dreams into nightmares, and this boy had unknowingly provided him with an opportunity.

Steven stirred, but did not wake yet. He dreamed of Lapis, like he did a lot recently. Saw her in the stars, having a wonderful time. It made him smile, every time. The demon rubbed his hands together, and then raised an index finger, staring at it deviously. And then he touched Steven's forehead with it, and the crown of the boy's head glowed rather harshly for a while.

Steven watched Lapis fly up to the stars... when she suddenly started falling, a net enclosing around her, pulling her back to Earth.

"Lapis, _no_!" he reached out towards her, terrified.

Bill could feel this change in mood, and he laughed, withdrawing his index finger. It worked... and he was oh so glad of that.

She looked at him, crying. Water flowed freely from her eyes. She opened her mouth, and water flowed from there too. He felt himself begin to drown in the water coming from her. He couldn't move, for he found he was in a net too. He gasped for breath, reaching towards her...

The demonic triangle calmly and gleefully observed, content with how things were going. He sat back on the bed, legs crossed, humming a particularly dark song softly. And then Steven woke up. He lifted his head, gasping, "Lapis is in trouble! we gotta go save her!"

Bill promptly stopped humming, and assumed a look of condescending indifference as he stared at the kid, "Really now? do we _have_ to?"

He was wondering why this kid thought Lapis was in trouble just from a simple nightmare he induced. His nightmares were just that. Nightmares.

"I... she was in trouble. I saw her, she... she needs my help! if you wanna stay here, that's okay with me. But I'd like you to come with me," he sighed. "What if she really is in trouble, and she gets hurt, and it's my fault because I wasn't there to protect her?" he looked at Bill, pleading almost.

He rolled his eye, glaring now, "Honestly, I could barely care less, kid, but fine. I bet you're freaking out over nothing, however. But fine. Not like I can do much here in this pathetic excuse for a house."

The demon could barely believe what he was saying. The insults and indifference he could get behind, but outright agreeing to go with this skin puppet? it was incredible at its most fundamental meaning.

"Alright then! come on!" Steven grabbed Bill's hand and started running down the steps, to where Lion was resting. He hopped on, "Come on, Lion, we have to go see if Lapis is alright!"

The demon groaned at being treated like a rag-doll, but didn't protest. He glared at his situation. Lion was still asleep, ignoring Steven. He let go of Bill, and patted Lion, "Come on! this is no time for napping! Lapis is in trouble, and we have to save her!"

Bill made no attempt to help, crossing his arms. Like he said, he didn't care. Not at all. The lion's fur felt extremely soft though, and for some reason he liked that feeling...

Lion grunted, but otherwise didn't budge. Steven groaned, "Liiiiiooooon! I need you to help me!" and then he sighed.

"Tough luck, kid," the triangle chuckled, feigning looking at his nonexistent nails now. "Why don't you just go back to sleep? do what this furry bag is doin'."

It wasn't said for Steven's benefit though. He wanted to torture the boy some more, and what better way than to infect his every dream with nightmarish aspects? and, with how he was treating his dreams, it'd have even more of a payout.

"I... I suppose you're right. Lion doesn't seem too concerned anyway, and I'm tired... yeah, okay," he sighed, stood up, and began up to the attic, completely forgetting about Bill.

The demon quietly chuckled again, his pupil glowing a dangerous deep blue once more before he floated up from Lion's mane and followed Steven. With a snap of his fingers, he made the empty bag of popcorn disappear. Steven climbed onto and lay on his bed, but didn't fall asleep. His eyes were closed, however, and his breath was slow. Bill was impatient, looking at a watch he had conjured up on his wrist just for this minute purpose. He landed on the bed, next to Steven's head, and sat down, crossing his arms and legs. Steven turned to Bill, "Do you sleep?"

"Sleep? eh, no, not really," he answered, eyebrow raised with slight irritation. He didn't really _need_ to sleep anyway.

"Do you like watching me sleep, like Pearl?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah," he grinned. He definitely liked seeing pained faces when their owners were undergoing nightmares. Plus, he knew how uncomfortable this would make Steven, and oh how he liked making people uncomfortable.

"Okay. I'm okay with that," he smiled, shrugging. "Just try not to keep me up. Sadie's expecting me to help with some project tomorrow, and I need my sleeps!" he sighed and lay down again, Same as before, did not fall asleep.

This somewhat surprised Bill. How was he not uncomfortable? this boy was unlike any kid or any human he'd ever met in his life. Of course, he knew Steven wasn't all the way _human_ , but he was more human than not. He put a hand to his "chin", thinking, still waiting for Steven to fall asleep. He now knew that Steven had plans for tomorrow, and he now wanted to ruin said plans with his nightmares. It would definitely make for some quick suffering.

Steven eventually did sleep, but this time, it was a dreamless, light sleep. Bill raised a finger once more, and it glowed red. He'd infect him with the most vicious nightmares ever told, and, since the sleep was dreamless, well, then it'd be literally anything. The demon chuckled silently and touched Steven's forehead with said index finger. The crown of Steven's head glowed a harsh red color.

* * *

The waking world melting away, Steven soon found himself in a black void, one whose darkness was overbearing and suffocating. He looked around, confused.

"Hello?" he called, cupping his hands around his mouth, staring into the dark depths. Nothing happened at first. But soon the ravages of Beach City welcomed him. Dark red soaked certain spots, and a large, ominous, rather colorful X was etched into the gray and cloudy sky. The town seemed eerily empty.

He stared up at it, uneasy. "Hello!?" he called again, louder this time, looking around. "Is anyone here?" he began to walk around the town, troubled by the lack of people.

He soon glimpsed a couple of bodies lying broken, near the famous Big Donut. He gasped and ran towards them, "Sadie? Lars?"

The bodies were indeed Sadie and Lars. Intact. But fatally wounded. Crimson soaked the ground beneath them. Steven licked his hands, and slapped them on their wounds. "C'mon, guys... please..." he felt tears begin to escape his eyes, running down his cheeks.

It barely worked, but it wasn't enough. Whatever did this to them made quick and efficient work. The wind kicked up, gently blowing through the area. Steven took away his hands, and saw they were bloody. He fell to his knees, staring at them. And then back at his friends.

 _Lars isn't the nicest person... but he doesn't deserve this... and Sadie doesn't either... whatever did this..._ he didn't finish that thought. Steven didn't make threats, even though two of his closest friends were... gone. He started up, back to the Temple, hoping, maybe, to find some relief from this nightmare.

The giant X in the cloudy sky pulsated, and the breeze started to become more intense. He reached the Temple and knocked on the door, "Hello? Lion? Garnet? Pearl? Amethyst?" he soon hesitated, and then called, "Lapis?"

There wasn't a response. Just the wind very gradually transforming into a gale. Steven entered the dark Temple, looking around for anyone, feeling extremely lonely and unbearably sad. He wanted to curl up on the floor and stay there forever. But he couldn't. He had to keep looking. Find someone. Something. He couldn't give up on his friends now.

And then, near the Warp Pad, he found a frightening sight. His family of Gems, all of them, were shattered into a gruesome rainbow of powder. Lion lay unmoving on the opposite side, in the same state as Lars and Sadie. He gasped, when he saw them. He knew there was no fixing them. So he turned, and ran to Lion, licking his hands again, trying to heal him. The taste of blood was on his tongue, and he hated it.

Despised it.

He watched the room go blurry...

Tears were flowing freely now, as he tried in vain to save Lion. But for what? everyone else was gone... he was sure if he went to his dad's place, he, too, would be dead... not gone, dead... just like his mom...

Now he fell on the floor. Now he gave up, sobbing, wondering how this could have happened, where he could have messed up. The area then started darkening again, a sign that he was going to wake up very soon. The wind made one final appearance, wafting through the windows, carrying a deep, chilling laugh along with it. He shuddered, and glanced at the powder that used to be his Gem family. He thought he saw some blue in the mix, along with the white and purple and red and another shade of blue. And maybe some green too.

It got darker and darker, and darker... creeping up on him like slime.

He closed his eyes, wanting nothing more than to sleep forever, like his friends and family. Though it wasn't really sleep, what they were doing...

The darkness then consumed him...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was again Bill here, and I felt so heartless writing out the environment especially. Especially with Ace's wonderful Steven-y reactions. I also played Lion.  
> Hope you enjoy and please comment!


	3. The Project

Bill was highly pleased with this nightmare. He lived and thrived on pain, fear and suffering, and this kid had a lot of it underneath his cheery disposition. He chuckled, and then floated off the bed, towards Lion. The demon realized he hadn't yet properly thanked Steven, and was wanting to rectify that.

Steven woke then, gasping, "They're all in trouble! Sadie, Lars, the Gems!" he hopped out of bed and ran down the stairs, over to Lion. "Hey, are you okay?"

Lion yawned, showcasing the fact that he was alive and well, but promptly fell back asleep. However, there was something missing from his mouth. Lots of somethings.

"Lion..." Steven sighed, patting his back, relieved. "I guess it was just a dream!" he shrugged, not noticing that some things were missing from Lion's mouth.

"Heheh," a familiar chuckle issued from behind him, "sure it was, kid!"

Steven jumped slightly, then looked around him. His eyes widened when he saw the floating triangle, "Oh! Bill! I'm sorry... I completely forgot about you... I had this really bad dream..." he almost teared up, just thinking about it. "I know you're not one for hugs, but I really need one..." he held out his arms.

The demon raised an eyebrow, but, other than that, ignored this pointedly. His hands were behind his back, and he grinned again, "I got something even better than that sweaty, sappy ritual!"

"Oh, really? you got me a present?" Steven gasped, his sad mood gone instantly.

The triangle nodded slightly, and then revealed his hands, unveiling teeth, with a bit of blood trickling from the roots of each. He grinned widely, "Teeth! straight from the lion's mouth! far stronger than deer teeth, if I do say so myself! and they're all for you, kid!"

Steven gasped, staring at them. "Y-you... you need to put those back! Lion needs those!" he argued.

Bill then pretended he was hurt, frowning and all. He looked at the teeth in his open palms, and then back up at Steven, sighing rather dramatically, "Oh, kid. I thought for sure you'd appreciate this!"

"I-I do... but you can't just take Lion's teeth! it's like if someone took your eye! you need that, don't you?"

The demon narrowed his eye, reminded of the time his eye got pulled out by the Shacktron. He suppressed a shudder, and then frowned once more, closing his palms for a while, "I do..." and what he said next took some effort, but eventually it came out, "ugh, fine, kid.. I'll return his teeth."

"Thank you," he smiled and patted Bill's hat. The triangle twitched noticeably, and, other than a groan, didn't complain about his precious topper getting touched. He tossed the teeth into the air and snapped his fingers. Lion yawned again and all the teeth were thus returned to their proper places.

Steven sighed, and then he looked out the window. It was incredibly sunny, and this made him remember something. He gasped, "Sadie! I have to go help Sadie with her project thing... you can come help, if you want!" he suggested, smiling at Bill.

And that's when Bill realized. His plan to ruin Steven's plans didn't exactly work. The boy still seemed as bright-eyed and as bushy-tailed as ever. Bill frowned with both disappointment and with thought, glancing around the house. It looked somewhat nicer with the sunlight pouring into it, he noted briefly and offhandedly. But it still fell below his standards.

Eventually, he decided, "Eh, sure. Why not?"

He figured he might be able to string Sadie along as well. The more people he could manipulate and eventually betray, the better.

"Come on!" Steven almost grabbed Bill's hand, before he rethought it and just started out the door. He would let the triangle follow him on his own.

Bill Cipher chuckled again rather lightly, but still ominously, and then proceeded to levitate after the kid, magically closing the door behind him. Steven ran down to the Big Donut, calling her name, hoping his dream wasn't real...

The demon was right behind him all the while, looking around at the town somewhat condescendingly. Steven reached the door and knocked on it, "SAAAAADIE! LAAAAARS! is the Big Donut open?" he then glanced at Bill, uncertain.

Bill frowned, meeting his glance and crossing his arms. Soon, there was a bit of an argument heard inside, before Sadie opened the door, smiling immediately at the boy behind it, "Oh, hi, Steven," and then she noticed the triangle, and raised an eyebrow. "Who's this?"

Bill Cipher stared at her, the frown then upturning into a slight smile. He was about to introduce himself when Steven unknowingly interrupted.

"This is Bill Cipher. He's a friend. He, uh, he washed up on the beach as a statue..." Steven shrugged. Sadie pursed her lips, thinking on this. He then continued, "Anyway, you wanted to do some kind of project, right?"

Bill chuckled dryly, slightly irritated because he didn't get a chance to speak. He'd get his chance, he thought. Soon, preferably. Lars watched them talk from his spot at the register, feet up on the counter.

"Well, yeah. We wanted to raise money for the school, with donuts. Sorta a fundraiser type thing. We were hoping you could go around and put up signs and tell people about it, spread awareness," Sadie smiled.

"Sure thing! I don't have anything to do anyway," he replied. He was then handed a stack of papers, posters, for the project. Bill eyed these items somewhat curiously. And then the look turned discreetly devious. He couldn't help thinking how he'd have fun ruining the fundraiser. Schools were meaningless anyway. Just like rules were.

Lars grinned smugly, coming up to stand behind his coworker, "Good luck, Steven and little one-eyed dork. You're gonna need it."

Bill frowned at him, his trigger finger again itching to cause some damage. No one ever insulted him and got away with it.

"Here, Lars, I have some left over, for you!" she handed him an even bigger pile. Lars promptly frowned, but took the pile without much complaint, and his knees started shaking due to how heavy it was. Bill laughed at this. Maybe he didn't _need_ to bring chaos down upon this fellow. The young man was already getting his just desserts. He was starting to like Sadie.

"Alright, boys. I'm going to set up a picnic for lunch, so when you're done with those, come to the pier!" she smiled at them.

"Okay!" Steven smiled and began out the door, cheerfully holding his papers.

"Gotcha!" Bill replied, grinning and sending an affirmative gesture her way before he followed the boy. He decided to humor her. Maybe he wouldn't ruin the fundraiser. But perhaps he _could_ scramble up the school. Yes... he liked this idea.

The grumpy teenager kept up the frown on his face, not wanting to speak, so he just nodded instead, stumbling out the door as well. Sadie waved them all off just before the door closed.

Steven pursed his lips. _Are there really this many people in Beach City?_ he wondered, glancing back at Lars with his stack.

And then the demon turned to Steven, whispering as a reply to his thought, "There really are. Fascinating, is it not?"

"Huh? but I didn't say anything..." Steven frowned. And then his eyes lit up, "Wait, can you read thoughts too? wow! tell me what Lars is thinking!" he exclaimed, excited now.

Bill grinned, and then metaphorically reached into Lars's mind to pull out something. He chuckled, whispering, "He's saying how much he hates this... and, oh, boy, does he have _quite_ the colorful language!"

Lars got the feeling Steven and Bill were talking about him, and growled slightly, eyes half-lidded. The demon ignored him, not even caring. He was far more powerful than that lanky fleshbag anyway, and could disintegrate him into mere atoms if he wanted.

"Oh..." Steven's face fell. He handed Bill the stack of papers he was holding, then hugged Lars.

Lars reacted far less nicely than Bill did, and he would have shoved him off too were it not for the large and heavy stack of papers in his hands. It almost caused him to fall, as a matter of fact, and he struggled to keep his balance, "Gruh! Steven!"

The demon watched this, scrambling not to drop the posters. He was once again baffled by Steven. He figured the boy would laugh along with him, but instead...

Bill sighed quietly, growing a third arm for a bit to rub at his top point. He just couldn't _get it_...

"Oh! I'm... I'm sorry..." Steven backed away, uncertain now. He glanced at Bill. "You too, I'm sorry... I must have startled both of you..." his cheeks turned red.

Lars grumbled, "You're lucky you didn't make me drop this."

Bill said nothing for a minute, still thinking, but his eye was no longer wide. It was half-closed with seeming boredom, but it was actually because he was deeply pondering about this, about Steven's "in"-human behavior. Like before, however, it didn't last. The triangle simply shrugged, covering up his surprise, "Eh. Not really. Don't worry about it," and then he made the papers float around him so he wouldn't have to carry them.

"Wow..." Steven was dully awed by Bill's abilities once again. "You're amazing!" he almost hugged Bill again, but stopped himself.

The demon chuckled, "Why, thank you!"

Lars's frown deepened. He was impressed, to say the least, but figured he should have some help too. He then thought of something. He put up a friendly smile, "Hey, Bill!"

The triangle looked at him, eyebrow raised. The young man continued, "Think you could help a guy out?"

Bill saw straight through this act. He knew Lars didn't like him, and, well, he didn't like Lars either, especially _because_ of that insult. But he accepted, "Of course!" and grinned particularly maliciously, but this went unnoticed.

He held out his palm, focusing on the papers Lars was carrying. They started floating around the guy, but at the same time a stable, small raincloud formed above his head as the papers started circling that. Lars was none the wiser, smiling now rather smugly and looking at Steven with his arms crossed.

The boy, however, barely noticed. He kept walking. Lars, eyebrow raised, and Bill, chuckling, followed him, and that raincloud was still above the young man, ready to strike at a moment's notice. All Lars seemed to notice was how dark it got, but that didn't erase the smug off his face.

Steven frowned, "So, Bill, where are you from...?" he glanced at the triangle.

Bill looked at Steven, humming slightly as he magically took one of his posters and plastered it onto a nearby pole they were passing. And then he looked at Lars. How he _hated_ him. The demon returned his gaze to the boy, rethinking telling him now, and replied, "I'll tell ya when we're alone."

Lars scoffed. He really wanted to hear, if only for blackmail purposes, not realizing the triangle could kill him if he wanted. He remained silent nonetheless, not even bothering to look up.

"When we're alone? why? why not now?" Steven was a dead cat.

Bill frowned, and was about to pointedly glance Lars's way when the aforementioned spoke up, smugly, "Yeah, why not now? or are you scared?"

The demon scoffed, crossing his arms, "I'm not scared!"

"Then tell it!" Lars demanded, "or I'll call you a dork again."

Bill rolled his eye. This kid really didn't know who he was messing with.

"Yeah, Bill. I'll tell you something really embarrassing about me! or if it's sad, something really sad! but... you probably already know anyway..." Steven frowned.

"Eh... I'd rather not. It's something _really_ personal, kid, and blabbermouth here might blab it out," he pointedly glanced at Lars this time, but it and the insult went unnoticed by the target himself, who laughed in Bill's face.

"I knew it! you're a chicken! a dorky chicken!" he smirked, hands on his hips. And then the demon's eye flashed for a split second that deep blue again as it narrowed. At that moment, the raincloud activated and it zapped the young man's ear.

"OH, OW! THAT HURT!" Lars cried out, jumping slightly and grabbing his ear. It started pouring rain on him from then on, just to rub salt in the wound, and his clothes were now absolutely soaked. He groaned once the pain subsided, hidden tears in his eyes.

The demon simply smirked just as smugly as Lars had earlier, if not more, much to the young man's dismay. Honestly, he was lucky Bill hadn't done more to him. _Very_ lucky.

"Biiiiiillllllllll!" Steven complained. "Why do you keep hurting people? first you take Lion's teeth, then you shock Lars!" he looked at Bill, almost pleading.

The demon turned and raised an eyebrow at Steven, hands on his "hips", "Oh, please, spare me the sap, kid! Lars deserved that. You can't tell me otherwise."

Plus, it was a game to him. It was _fun_ to him. But he wouldn't tell Steven that. The less the boy truly knew about his true colors, the better. Lars kept quiet, and looked up, finally. He saw the papers, and sighed. At least they were still dry.

"No, he didn't. Sure, he's mean to people sometimes, but he makes up for it with kindness underneath! he's not a bad guy..." Steven sighed.

Once again, Bill was baffled, only slightly this time though. His brow furrowed as he once again tried to wrap his mind around this behavior. How could Steven say this? how could he not say Lars deserved this? he soon groaned, and waved a dismissive hand, crossing his arms, "Eh. Sure... sure he isn't."

Lars himself was touched, but confused. All he did since they met was be a jerk to Steven, and yet he was standing up for him? he frowned. The rain pelting his skin didn't matter anymore.

Steven sighed once more, "I'm going to the pier. You two... please try not to kill each other while I'm gone." He then ducked out and started towards the beach, to the pier where Sadie would be meeting them.

The demon and Lars watched Steven fade from their sight. Before they then glared at each other briefly, and then silently set to work stapling the posters around town fairly quickly, shooting each other death glares from time to time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, typical Bill, huh?  
> Once again, I hope you enjoyed this one! I'll say this, I'm Bill throughout this entire run. And Ace is Steven throughout her entire run. :3  
> I was also Sadie for her first line, afterwards Ace took the role, and I was Lars throughout this entire chapter. I hope I pulled him off well. Please comment. I really appreciate comments. :3


	4. A Glimpse Underneath the Mask

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I'm sorry I forgot about this one. Well, forget isn't the right term. I kept wanting to update too late in the day ahah. So here's Chapter Four.

Sadie was sitting on a blanket at the pier, still kinda setting up the picnic. She heard some footsteps against the grass, looked up and noticed Steven, and smiled, "Oh, hey, Steven." She then looked confused when she didn't see her coworker or Steven's new friend, and asked, eyebrow raised, "Where's Lars and Bill?"

"They're still putting up posters and giving out flyers. I... I wanted to help you," Steven offered, smiling. "And also... I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh. I see. And thank you," she smiled back, and then tilted her head. "About what? or who?" She had this small inkling that he wanted to talk about Bill Cipher.

What he said next confirmed it. "My friend. Bill. He's... well... I don't know what to think of him. He's cool, but weird," he shrugged. "He made it rain on Lars, too."

"So he did," Sadie couldn't help smirking at this. She, moreover, turned out to be right. But, despite what Steven was saying, she could tell something was wrong. She frowned a little, "What's wrong though? you have that face on.."

"Bill is... strange. He knows all sorts of weird things, and he stole Lion's teeth and tried to give them to me as presents."

Her eyes widened, "That really is strange.." she got up and started setting out the other blankets, thinking about the weird triangle. "And you said he washed up here?"

"Yeah, as a statue! he didn't glow or even talk for a while. He had a cut across his eye... so I took him in. I know, it seems kinda foolish, but the Gems aren't there, and... yeah..."

Sadie sighed, "You're doing the right thing... I guess... but be careful, okay, Steven? something about him rubs me the wrong way..." she was halfway finished with laying out the blankets at this point.

Steven frowned, thinking on this for a while, before he decided to save that thinking for later. "You need any help with that?" he reached forward to help her.

She smiled, "Yeah. Thank you."

But she couldn't stop thinking about Bill. She hoped nothing bad would come of this...

* * *

Bill had dispelled the rain, for the most part. It was still sprinkling on Lars. He didn't want the posters to get really wet, after all, only because he wanted to humor Sadie. He otherwise couldn't care less about this whole thing.

He magically took some more posters and plastered them on poles, walls, and other upright objects. Lars looked over, seeing the papers diminishing in number. He smirked a little. The demon glanced over at Lars, frowning slightly, before he looked across the town again. The one good thing he could say about this town was that it wasn't a stupid hick town like Gravity Falls was. People here were actually competent, and that was just him feeling their auras.

Lars walked steady, crossing his arms. Smiling at some people as he walked, trying to look cool, to put on that big bully act that he always did. He glanced at Bill, who was kinds cramping his style, "Hey, can't you actually look like something normal, maybe?"

Bill shot him a glare, stapling more posters up, "Heh, like I'd ever do anything for you. I know what you really want. Besides, I don't want to form into some sweaty skin puppet."

"Whatever," Lars shrugged, but couldn't resist to add, "but you're still a one-eyed dork."

"Don't make me shock you again, kid. Cause I'll do it," the demon threatened, gesturing to the raincloud still above Lars's head.

Lars looked up, a little fearful for a second. He bit his lip, "Fine, whatever." He rolled his eyes and looked away from the triangle. The demon saw that fearful expression and grinned, but said nothing. He offhandedly wondered why Lars wasn't dead where he stood after all this time. It wasn't like he cared or anything.

He sent several more papers flying towards a separate set of walls and poles. He made a slight point about barely talking to anyone, except Lars, here. He just didn't quite feel like it yet. Lars completely ignored Bill, and walked a bit ahead of him, to give the illusion that they weren't travelling together. The demon noticed, and casually levitated next to him again. He chuckled mischievously, keeping an eye on the dwindling pile of papers from time to time too. Every time Bill tried to float next to him, Lars would slow down or speed up in an attempt to rid himself of the nacho. Usually the former.

"You can't keep away from me, kid! I'm onto you!" and then he caught up somehow and latched onto Lars's arm. He grinned up at him, "Besides, we're supposed to be working together."

"Yeah, well, you're throwing off my groove!" he snapped, glaring down at the dorito. "Get off me! you're almost as clingy as Steven!" he tried to literally throw Bill off his arm, shaking it as hard and as fast as he could.

Bill laughed, hanging on. As much as he detested this physical contact, the enjoyment of getting under a person's skin and making them as uncomfortable as possible took precedence.

"I don't think you'll want to do that, donut boy... if you throw me off, you're as good as maimed."

And then suddenly that raincloud got darker. Lars groaned, "You know what? fine. Let's get this over with already!" he started to walk faster, on the side of the sidewalk Bill was on, so no one would see him.

"Good," he grinned, and then frowned. "Trust me, I don't like working with you either. The quicker we get this done, the sooner we can part ways after the picnic. But I can't promise you won't see me again."

He took more papers and tossed them at the walls, each of them magically stapling. A few almost hit a passing human, but he hardly cared about that. Besides, it was all about raising awareness, and, if it took getting a poster stapled to a part of your body, then that's what it took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas. :3  
> This time, I was Sadie, and Ace was Lars. And I took Bill, and she took Steven.   
> Please comment. I'd love to read and reply to your thoughts!


	5. The Picnic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, and since I was so late, today is a double chapter day! enjoy!

Steven and his friend finished setting everything up. He was watching the ocean, the waves, as they came and went. Waiting for Bill and Lars, and also thinking he should go check on them. Sadie was also watching the waves, every now and then turning to look at the town and checking on the lunches.

"If they don't hurry up, it's gonna get kinda cold," she was referring to the food, but, of course, Beach City was also known for getting chilly at evenings and at night, because they were near water.

"D'you think they killed each other? should I go check on them?" he was uneasy, fidgeting on the blanket.

"I hope not... and yeah, you should," she answered, looking just as uncomfortable with the fact. Lars didn't deserve death, no matter how mean he could be. And neither did Steven's new friend, even if he had this... disconcerting... air about him. Steven got up, sighing, and began back into town, calling their names whilst cupping his hands.

Bill heard Steven, and angled his eye in that direction. Lars was too busy sulking to pay much attention. They were almost done handing out fliers and putting up the posters. They only had about five left. Steven waved, "You guys done yet?"

The triangle waved back, smiling now, pulling away from Lars and hoping the boy didn't see. He replied, "Nah, kid. We only have about five more of these... fundraiser... dealios."

Bill seemed confused now, as he eyed these posters and fliers once more. He was confused about charity. Fleshbags giving to fleshbags... but expecting nothing in return? it seemed idiotic and counterproductive to him. But he soon pushed that aside and hid it like the con artist he was.

Lars, despite the relief that they were almost done and that the triangle had stopped clinging to him, grew sick to his stomach. He had seen a small glimpse of Bill's nature underneath that innocent facade he put up, and got even sicker because this creature seemed able to switch between the front and that at the drop of a hat. But he hadn't the heart, the bravery, nor the care to tell Steven, which was, unbeknownst, to him, exactly what the demon wanted. Instead, he simply nodded in agreement, "Yeah."

Steven smiled and began towards them, "Sadie and I finished setting up the picnic. We're waiting for you, and the food's getting cold!"

"Well well well, that's good to hear," Bill chuckled. "We'll finish up quickly then!"

And then Lars plucked a few papers and rushed off to hand them to people, still acting cool. He came back moments later before Bill could do anything. The boy started leading them back, "C'mon, guys!"

"Oooh, so we're finished early, eh? great!" the demon grinned. He was getting fairly tired of this, to be honest. Lars made it no better, even if he was fun to mess with. He carelessly did away with the last couple of posters and followed Steven, rubbing his hands together. He couldn't wait to try more human food. Lars sighed of relief, but also out of anguish, and sauntered behind the both of them. So much for showing off his groove. That nasty nacho ruined it all.

Steven smiled at Bill. A soft, gentle smile. "So... after this... is there anything you wanna do, exactly? I don't have any plans, or anything, so we could do whatever you want. You know, in return for you helping me with this fundraiser thing..."

Bill looked at Steven, thinking for a while. Oh, he had plans all right. But all of them would clue them in to his true nature. So, instead, he decided on something inconspicuous, "Well, kid, since this fundraiser's about a school, how's about we zip on over there and see what it's all about, eh?"

This was perfect. He could mess things up and they wouldn't be any the wiser. He was playing Steven like a fiddle, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Lars frowned slightly, crossing his arms. He still tried to act cool though, but he obviously didn't like what was going on.

Steven started to sweat, "Uh, I don't know where it is, and I don't think we can just walk over there..." he bit his lip. "And, uh, maybe something that doesn't involve as much walking? my legs are killing me!" he chuckled.

"We can just ask Sadie for the location," he suggested. He then proceeded to egg him on, "C'mon, kiddo! it'll be fun! you've always wanted to know what school entailed, didn't you? this is the perfect chance!"

Those legs would just have to suck it up. He'd let nothing get in his way. Absolutely nothing. He felt a little more of his powers come back, and smirked inwardly.

Steven sighed. "If that's really what you wanna do, why not?" He continued leading them down to the pier.

"Good choice, kid," he chuckled as he once again followed the boy. "Good choice."

Lars couldn't exactly stand for this. But he let this happen. For one, even though he might not show it, he was terrified of Bill, terrified of what he could do to him. For second, his repute as a jerk was at stake. He'd never let his kindness show in public. Which was, again, exactly what Bill wanted. Steven smiled and sighed again, trying to psyche himself up, "It might even be fun!"

"Yeah, that's the ticket!" Bill threw up his arms with celebration. But he was also inwardly confused. Moments earlier Steven was sighing begrudgingly about it, but now he was fully on board? that hardly ever happened. But he dismissed this and called it a serendipity. He wondered why he was questioning it in the first place. Lars stayed behind the two, despite wanting to walk in front of them now. He didn't want his back towards Bill, that was for sure.

Steven picked up the pace a little, excited. The demon and the young man also quickened their step. They were a little ways from the pier now. Sadie smiled when she saw them and waved them over.

"'Ey, Sadie!" Bill grinned, floating up to her and sitting beside her. Now was his chance to talk with her, get her on his side. Lars frowned, sitting on one of the blankets. He hoped to whoever was in charge that the nacho wasn't flirting with her.

"Hey, Bill," she smiled politely. She sat down next to Lars, which left Steven sitting in between Lars and Bill.

The demon grinned, taking something from the basket next to him, "It's nice to finally be able to speak to you, kid!"

"Nice to talk to you too," she started eating a sandwich.

The triangle's grin grew bigger and then he began eating too, trying to gather his thoughts. Lars begrudgingly grabbed a sandwich as well. He didn't want to be here right now. As if sensing his thoughts, Sadie said, "Hey, uh, Lars, could you run back to the Big Donut and grab us some napkins? I forgot to get us some."

Lars grinned. He'd take any chance to get away from that triangle for even a few minutes, "Sure thing, Sadie!" and he got up and started running back to the donut shoppe, taking bites of his food all the way there.

Bill looked his way and sighed happily. He was relieved too, in a way. He glanced at Steven and then back at Sadie, and that smirk was back on his eye when he finished eating that sandwich. He had to get her to trust him. But how? Steven probably already told her what he did. But it was nothing compared to what he could have done. So perhaps he still had a chance.

Steven was oddly silent as he ate. Probably enjoying the sandwich.

"Well, I see the sandwiches are a hit!" Sadie grinned, breaking the silence. All four of them were eating them.

"They sure are, kid! you made them?" he asked, despite already knowing she didn't, but sounded genuinely curious. He decided casual conversation would be better here.

"No, actually. My mom sends me lunches in little packages all the time. I decided I might as well use them for something... in fact, this picnic basket is just several of those lunches put together," she smiled at Bill.

"Well, that's awfully nice of her!" the demon grinned back. He used to have a family, but they weren't quite the way Sadie's or even Steven's was. In fact, he even felt a tiny bit envious, but he shoved it down. He shouldn't be envious of fleshbags. He was leagues better than them, all of them, and he wouldn't dare stoop to their level.

"It sure was... I guess I took it for granted..." she bit her lip, holding back tears now. Steven put an arm around Sadie, taking Lars's spot.

Bill scoffed. Again with the crying thing. Jeez, this town sure had a lot of tears, and he had only met three people. He reached into the basket again and pulled out another sandwich. He ended up retorting, "You sure did. You humans take 'ungrateful jerks' to the next level!"

The tears really began to travel now, from Sadie's eyes. Steven glared at Bill. "It's not like you're much better!" tears were starting to roll down his cheeks too. "I took you into my home, fed you, and tried to be nice to you the best I could... but you've been so..." he looked away from Bill, "mean."

Bill narrowed his eye and took a bite out of the sandwich. This crying deal was getting on his nerves. Plus, he was only telling the truth, as brutal as it may have been. He scoffed again, "Yeah, yeah. You took care of me, I get it. I know it. I'd been through it, kid!"

However, he soon found he couldn't also toss a spiteful quip at Steven for some reason. It was strange, just like it was for him when he witnessed and was on the receiving end of kindness. His now wide eye twitched, but he shoved the confusion down, and the little feeling fell with it. He then whispered, eye narrowed once again with a hint of something negative, low enough so that the boy and Sadie couldn't hear, "And mean isn't the only level I can get on..."

Steven shook his head and stood up, tossing his unfinished sandwich into the basket, "Sadie, could you just lead us to the school the fundraiser's at? I lost my appetite."

"Uh, yeah, sure," she rose to her feet, frowning a little and wiping the tears away. She also put her sandwich into the basket.

The demon took this chance to grab the picnic basket and shove all the food into his eye-mouth. It was all for him now. No one else was eating. And Lars, he felt, wasn't coming back for more. He grinned after he finished, tossing the basket aside and turning to face the two somewhat squicked-out kids. Now his plan to see how the school ran so he could ruin it from the inside-out could finally get rolling...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had Sadie in the beginning, and Ace later took on the role. Lars was once again taken by me. Ace was Steven and I was Bill.  
> Happy Holidays, and have a very happy New Year! may 2021 be a better one.


	6. The School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait on this one! I kinda forgot about this one till today. Y'all, please comment. It would mean the world to me.   
> That said, read on and enjoy!

After a lot of walking, Sadie, Steven and Bill all stood at the entrance of the school.

"Unfortunately, it's a Sunday. School's out today. That means we can't go in. Tomorrow, though, you could," Sadie smiled at Steven.

Steven glanced at Bill for his word in this. It was his idea to come here, after all. If Steven had it his way, they'd both be at home right now, watching his favorite show.

"Can't we sneak in?" Bill suggested, eye narrowed. He was itching to cause some chaos, staring up at the pristine building. Waiting a day could probably kill him. Well, not literally, but you get it.

"I'm pretty sure it's against the rules. But you're welcome to try. The door is locked anyway," and to demonstrate, she went up and shook the handle.

He really didn't care about the rules. He ate rules for breakfast, lunch, _and_ dinner, only to vomit them back out as something that broke them. He had now the urge to blast this door down, but he wanted to be discreet. He didn't want anyone to suspect they had been here. In fact, he thought of something better. He chuckled, and then snapped his fingers, focusing on the locking mechanism. He heard it tumble, and he announced, "Try it now, Sadie!"

She tried it now, afraid that it might actually work. She definitely didn't want to get in trouble...

And it worked despite her wishes, the door opening with a click. No alarms went off either. Bill had disabled those too.

"This is so exciting! I finally get to see what's gotten kids and teenagers so worked up!" he lied like it was the truth, grinning widely. Though he supposed it wouldn't hurt getting some ideas from this place that he could use in tormenting people more effectively.

"Well... I guess I could show you two around..." Sadie resigned, wanting nothing more than to return to the Big Donut. She didn't feel like she should be here at all...

The demon nudged Sadie rather playfully, "Don't feel so down! we'll be in and out! quick as a flash!" and then glanced at Steven, trying to gauge his reaction.

Steven sighed, "If that's what you really wanna do. Where are we going first?"

"Well, first, we gotta turn on the lights so we can actually see in here." Never mind Bill's glow. Sadie made her way over to the light switch and flipped it on. Bill looked around then, taking in the artistic corridor. He was planning what he could do with the location. Though it probably looked nice in human eyes, it fell far below his standards.

She and the boy began to walk around the hallway, with the demon beside them. It was silent, of course, minus their footfalls, and it completely creeped both her and Steven out. The silence didn't particularly bother Bill, however. It only reminded him that the place was completely empty, save for the three of them. Boy, would the students and staff come back tomorrow to a lovely surprise or what? he put his hand on his "chin", looking at the many doors that led to classrooms, offices, and all that jazz. However, he wanted a room in particular. He could mess these up later.

Sadie stopped and turned to Bill, "Anywhere in particular you wanna go?"

"Oh, yeah! I've got a hankering for some chemistry!" he lied cheerfully.

"Chemistry, eh?" contrary to his instructions, she began towards the computer lab. Perhaps on purpose...

Bill followed her, "clueless" and grinning. Wherever she led him, even if it was wrong, he was going to wreak havoc anyway. Steven walked beside Bill, silent, observing him. Wondering what was going on in his head... knowing it could not be pleasant.

Eventually, after quite a walk through the corridors, they reached the computer lab. She slapped her forehead gently, "Oh! right! I forgot! the science wing is on the other side of the building... well, we should go over there!" Sadie had a plan. She'd keep the group moving. Like Bill said, in and out.

Bill took one glance at all the computers lined up on several desks. They seemed far more advanced than the ones back in Gravity Falls. And faster and more sleek too. With a simple twitch of his eye, however, which was put forth to showcase his apparent annoyance with Sadie, that all changed. Of course, they still _looked_ the same, but now they'd underperform. It wasn't what he wanted to do, it wasn't _real_ damage, but it'd do. He then nodded with a slight groan, "Alright then..."

And so they shoved off again. It took some time, but finally, they reached the chemistry lab.

"Here's the lab..." and then she frowned, feeling that someone wasn't with them. "Hey, where'd Steven go?" she looked around. The boy had seemingly disappeared on the way there. The silence was thick. He could be anywhere by now...

Bill looked around too, but ultimately didn't care. He shrugged, eye now wandering over to the cabinets that held various chemicals and to the various lab equipment neatly spread out on the sturdy tables, "Eh, who knows? why don't you go looking for him? I got it from here."

"I'm not leaving you here alone," Sadie said, completely sure that the triangle guy was up to no good. "So, come on, we're going to go find Steven and leave this place." She stood up tall, as if to assert authority over him.

"You're not the boss of me, lady!" he frowned, his good mood dissipating even further than it already had. He put his hands on his "hips", and floated up higher than her, asserting even more of an authority over her. He wasn't going to listen to a fleshbag. Ever. "I do what I want!"

"Oh, yeah? well, go ahead then. Do whatever you want. See how things turn out for you. I bet they won't turn out nice at all! Lars was right about you..." she turned to walk away now.

Bill smirked. Things, minus Weirdmageddon, when those bratty Pines got in his way, always worked out well for him. And never for his victims. And, right now, his victims were the students and the staff. He waited a while before he entered the room though, hands still on his "hips". He was waiting until Sadie left for real.

She turned and watched him, silent. Eventually, she said, "What? are you afraid to do whatever it is that you're going to do? should I be worried about it?" her gaze was as cold as steel.

His eye narrowed at her, "Let's just say it's private business. And aren't you worried about Steven? shouldn't you be, y'know, _looking_ for him?"

"He can handle himself," she didn't budge.

And Bill was once again surprised, but it again didn't last. He shook with irritation and desire. Desire to cause chaos. And this kid was getting in the way of that. He wanted to kill her now, get her out of the way, but something was stopping him. He wouldn't be able to cover it up for one. And no one, not even Steven, would be able to come to trust him again. He'd end up on the curb before he ever did any _true_ damage.

He sighed, glancing into the lab. He once again was forced to do something mediocre, something that fell below his standards of chaos. With another annoyed twitch of his eye, potions, or chemicals, turned more dangerous, able to summon demons and the like, and the functions of the equipment switched around. So now the mixer instead acted like a vacuum cleaner set in the wrong direction. The triangle narrowed his eye, crossing his arms now, "You're no fun. I'm bored now."

"Well, if you're done just standing there, we've got a Steven to find!" she smiled a little. Forced, however.

"Eh, sure. Why not? got nothing better to do now," he shrugged, and then floated towards her, still fairly put off. He huffed, and that did something to the light fixtures. They were fine now, of course, but they were now programmed to flicker and turn off for a while if the hallways were filled with people. And tomorrow would be that day.

Sadie didn't turn her back to him, "Why don't you lead the way?"

Bill glared, and then settled for levitating alongside her. "Is that better, Queen of England?" he, of course, didn't think she was a queen, or even deserving of the title. It was, in fact, condescending and sarcastic. He may have liked her before, but now she was right below Lars and the Pines family on the list of the people he hated.

She smiled and nodded, "Now... where could he be?" she looked around, uncertain. She wondered if she could trust the guy enough to split up and take separate wings to look through.

The demon raised his only eyebrow at her thoughts. Seriously? he swore if he had another moment where he was confounded he'd go crazier than he already was. She didn't leave him alone when he wanted to mess up the lab, and _now_ she was wondering if she could to make the search for Steven even easier? mind-boggling, the thought was.

She looked at him and asked, "You think I could leave you alone, and we could split up to find Steven sooner?"

Bill smirked, deciding to use this to his advantage, "Sure you can. I'll behave like an angel!" and then he posed innocently, hands clasped with a halo appearing over his hat. It was all a ploy, of course. And, if she actually agreed... well, he'd take back what he said about the town seeming more competent.

"Hmm. I don't know... how about..." she plucked his hat right off his head, much to Bill's dismay for he gasped, eye widening as he felt at his top point. She continued, "Now, I'm taking this. You better not do anything bad, or you're not getting this back. Got it?" she warned.

He then growled, reaching out for his hat, about to agree so that he could secretly break the informal vow.

An idea then came to her. She held out her other hand, smirking slightly, "Deal?"

And then his hope sank completely. _Agh, it was a deal now!_ he had no choice but to follow through! he cursed violently in his head. This lasted for a few minutes, mixed with spoken angrish that his precious hat was taken from him. Sadie watched, expressionless and waiting, but slightly scared on the inside too.

"Urgh..." once he was done having his hissy fit, he sighed, and the hand that was outstretched lit up with blue, flickering flames. He frowned, and said glumly, taking and shaking her hand, "Fine. It's a deal."

She gasped when that happened. Didn't expect the bright blue flames one bit. With her free hand, she put his hat on her own head. "A-alright then. Let's go," she smiled a little. "Which wing do you wanna take?"

Bill glared at her, the flames subsiding. That hat belonged on _his_ head, but he'd soon have it back. He just had to go along with this, however much he hated it. He sighed solemnly yet dryly, "The east wing, perhaps. That's where we last saw the kid, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I suppose it was. So, okay, you go that way, and I'll go along this wing for him," she smiled, tipped his hat, and started walking away, looking for Steven.

The demon stared after her, and it took all his willpower not to turn red, burst into flames and scream to high heaven. _SHE TIPPED MY HAT! SHE_ _ **TIPPED**_ _IT! THAT IS_ _ **MY**_ _GIG!_

He cursed again, this time not mentally at all and it rang throughout the entire school. He calmed down almost immediately afterwards, though, and figured he was wasting time throwing a tantrum. He was going to make this quick, but again he still lacked the energy to teleport. So he settled for manually making his way back to the east wing. However, if there was one good thing that came out of this, it was that he was still capable of making deals.

He then thought about it.

Nope... not good. Not good at all.

Sadie searched her side of the school, frowning when she heard Bill yelling, but shrugged. She figured he was probably being attacked by a monster of some sort, and, if the monster approached her next, she would thank it for ridding her of the triangle and allowing her to keep the top hat. She loved the top hat. She really did. She saw some glass windows where she could see her reflection, and, in those, she posed with the hat, grinning. She thought about taking selfies of her with the hat...

...but she realized sadly that she left her phone at the Donut.

Sadie had grossly underestimated the demon. For one, there was no monster; that was only the sound of his rage. For two, he would have vaporized it, no problem. He begrudgingly searched for Steven, looking through multiple classrooms and ignoring the itch to cause even the slightest bit of chaos. Because, if he did, his precious hat would be lost forever, to that lowly meatsack who clearly didn't deserve it. He sighed, frustration mounting when he saw that the boy was nowhere to be found.

"Where the hell did he go...?" he asked himself gruffly, still in quite the wonderful mood.

Sadie found herself at the entrance easily, after searching the entire wing she was assigned to. She proceeded to enter the bathroom, and pose with the hat in the mirror, grinning. Bill Cipher reached an office. He tilted himself. He felt something in there. Hopefully it would be Steven. And not because he cared, but because he wanted his hat back.

His frown deepened at the reminder that his hat was gone and that Sadie had strung him along instead of the other way around. Angry flames unconsciously rose from and lapped at his skinny, black arms, but he patted them out before too long. The demon sighed and reached out to open the door.

Contrary to what he thought, Steven was not in the office room. In fact, he wasn't in any office or classroom at all. He had gone to the bathroom. Coincidentally and conveniently the one located next to the one Sadie occupied.

Bill pulled it open, sighed when he saw no one was in there. Except maybe a Gem Monster, which was probably what he sensed. But he hardly cared. He'd let it wreak havoc. And then he closed the door.

It was at this time he was convinced that he cleared this wing. There were no other doors to check. He had checked all of them. So, sullenly, he made his way back to the entrance, slowly exploring the school as he went at his leisure, feeling at his unnaturally barren top point. At least he managed to mess some things up before the deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aand there we go! woooo! I hope you enjoyed it! Ace played a magnificent Sadie, as well as Steven, but Sadie had the limelight here. So yeah. What a turn of events, right, folks? XD I bet you probably weren't expecting it. But here it is.  
> See ya next week!


	7. Second Chances and Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have literally no excuse for the wait. I am so sorry lol  
> For that, especially since this chapter is so short, I'll grant you a double update!  
> Hope you enjoy!

After a while, Steven left the bathroom around the same time Sadie had, and he gasped when he saw her, "Oh, Sadie! sorry for disappearing on you... I really had to go..." he smiled a little, blushing slightly.

Sadie smiled back, "Oh, that's fine. When you gotta go, you gotta go." She was still posing with that skinny topper. She wondered if she'd ever part with it. She loved it that much. Sure, a deal was a deal, but...

...she _loved_ this hat.

He frowned, "What's with the hat? and where'd Bill go?"

"We split up looking for you. And the hat is leverage," was all she said, still smiling.

"Oh..." he nodded like he understood perfectly. "Then we should go find Bill now, before he gets into any major trouble!"

"Oh, I doubt he will. I talked him out of it," she half-lied. She wouldn't say she struck a deal with Bill.

"But we should still go find him. He's my responsibility..."

Sadie frowned. She knew that she'd have to give back his hat the moment he was found again. She inhaled and then exhaled, "Um... how about we make a quick trip back to the Big Donut? I need to do something really important. And then we can come back and search for him. How's that sound?"

"Okay, but it's gotta be quick. I don't like leaving him alone..."

"Alright!" she hated lying to him, but it was the only way she could ever take selfies of herself. But she had also to make up and do that something important. She wondered what it should be. And, while she wondered, she held out a hand for Steven's, smiling, "Let's go then."

He took her hand and smiled, and, remembering the way out, started towards it. Sadie let him, grinning and posing somewhat along the way. Suddenly, she knew what to do. She'd make some donuts. And also clean up that picnic. She hadn't the chance to do that before. Steven smiled.

"Can I borrow the, uh, leverage?" he asked quietly, somewhat jealous.

Sadie doffed the hat and handed it out to him, "Thought you'd never ask. You'll like it."

He took it, inspected it for a second, and then hung it above his head, the way Bill wore it. He giggled, "You're right! I really like it!"

Sadie grinned, "I'm glad! now let's hurry out of this school and back to the picnic site, and then to the Big Donut. Bill's exploring and he'll soon run out of places to explore."

Steven nodded, and then they headed out the front doors, the boy taking some selfies with the hat on his head, grinning. Sadie joined in a few of the selfies, and they made it back to the picnic site before long. She hummed as she started folding up the blankets and found the picnic basket that Bill had previously tossed away. Steven helped as well. He decided to strike up a conversation, "So... where do you think Lars is? back at the Big Donut?"

"He's probably elsewhere by now, knowing him..." she frowned, stuffing the blankets she folded into the empty basket.

He nodded. He thought for a while. "What do you think Bill's deal is?" he eventually asked softly, glancing at her as he cleaned the crumbs into a little tray.

Sadie pondered this, drumming her fingers on her chin, "I... I honestly don't know... but he probably has a reason for his behavior... nothing is done without a rhyme or a reason. Still doesn't have to be such a jerk though."

She finished folding up the blankets and shoved them into the basket. She remembered what Bill called her. "Ungrateful jerk". Well, as much of a brutal attack that was, it had some truth to it. A lot of truth, to be honest. She didn't appreciate her mom at all until she watched that Home Video Rose created. And now she couldn't help thinking something else fueled that attack. That was probably just a shot into the air, but it may be possible.

Steven nodded, "Maybe with time he'll realize how nice everyone is here. And he'll decide not to be mean to anyone anymore." He, ever the optimist, smiled softly, staring up at the sky with hope in his wide eyes.

Sadie smiled, "Hopefully..." she wished she could share his optimism at this point in time, because right now she couldn't see how Bill could change, especially not after what she did. But she agreed anyway. She got up and picked up the picnic basket, ready to shove off to the Big Donut so she could take selfies and prepare some donuts for the afternoon rush. "Ready to go back to the Big Donut, Steven?"

"Oh, yeah. We gotta return this stuff," he nodded to the basket.

"Mmhm, not to mention set out the donuts," she reached for his hand. She didn't forget about her true purpose, however. To take selfies with that hat. She wanted to treasure it forever. He nodded, smiling, and took her hand. And then Sadie led him back to the Big Donut, grinning. He jollily skipped beside her, grinning as well. Sadie chuckled, swinging the basket like an impromptu pendulum as she started skipping as well. This would all be quick, she assured herself. For Steven's sake...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all know where this is going, right? of course ((not))! XD  
> I was Sadie this time around, and Ace played a wonderful Steven as always! there's also not one, but two ((rather blatant)) references in here. It shouldn't take you too long to spot them. :3  
> This is one of those pivotal chapters, where they try to understand Bill a little better; even though he's not in this one in particular, he's sure as heck mentioned a lot.  
> Once again I'm sorry for the wait. Next chapter is coming soon. :3


	8. Rage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the end of the double update! please leave comments telling me what you think! I love them. :3

It had been a good few thirty minutes since the two humans left the school. Bill was biding his time exploring the building more thoroughly, still ignoring the itch to cause more damage. He was bound to that deal, after all. He growled at the very reminder, but sighed. Nothing he could do about it now, but he'd make sure Sadie would be the first to die after he betrays her and Steven.

He found himself in one of the girl's bathrooms, having blatantly ignored the sign. He became quite curious about the toilets for quite a bit. He'd never seen one up close before. He fiddled with the little silver switch, eye half-lidded with a strange bored curiosity. This action, when he pressed a little too hard, triggered the toilet flushing, and a bit of the water splashed on him. He reacted with disgust, shuddering, and then anger. He summoned red fire, about to destroy this toilet. But then he remembered the deal again, and dispelled the flames with a loud growl and settled for kicking the toilet instead. He laughed and cried out at the pain that resulted, landing and hopping up and down while holding the injured foot.

The demon soon recovered, and shook off the offending water, before he exited the stall and floated in front of a mirror. He hadn't seen what he looked like since what seemed like forever. But, for a split second, for some reason, he didn't like what he saw. And it wasn't because of his missing hat either. But there was something... something else...

He liked the way he looked, all things considered—triangular and golden—but...

His eye widened soon enough and he stopped this train of thought forcefully. He frowned, and tore his gaze away from the mirror, deciding to think about how he wound up here, and especially about how he was going to tell Steven where he came from. He hummed with thought, rubbing at his "chin".

And that's when he remembered. Sadie and Steven. It's been a long time since she split off from him to find Steven. It shouldn't have taken her that long to find him, and the school felt even emptier than before. His frown deepened as he tried to piece the information together, and he pushed open the door to leave the bathroom, looking around the hall with his hands on his "hips" now. He made his way to the entrance. His sensors weren't picking up any auras. Which only meant one thing...

He growled and his hellish pupil started glowing a deep crimson. He then started out the door, locking it behind him and turning off the lights, and made his way back to the picnic site...

Sadie had put away the picnic basket and finished setting the donuts out. True to what she had said, Lars was nowhere to be found, so Steven had to help her. Right now, she had her phone in her hand and Bill's top hat poised on her head, preparing to take yet another photo of herself. Steven smiled and got into the photo, grinning. He put bunny ears above Bill's hat. Just as she was about to take the picture, however, they both felt a very familiar presence. And it felt very. _Very_. _**Angry**_.

Sadie's eyes slowly widened, and she looked towards the door. There was Bill, his usually white glow a deep red. His hands were clenched and glowing.

"H..how dare you?" the demon was eyeing their poses and the phone in particular. After a few seconds, he repeated the question more harshly and loudly, slipping into his demonic voice, " _ **HOW DARE YOU?!**_ "

Steven, terrified, hid behind his friend. But then he frowned and stepped back out in front of her. "We were going to come back to the school to find you, I promised! Right, Sadie?" he looked at her sternly, feeling actually afraid of Bill.

Sadie didn't say a word. She started sweating. She honestly "forgot" about Bill. She wanted to keep that hat. She wanted to make it last longer, especially by taking pictures. Bill glanced at Steven, seeming to consider what he was saying, but rage melted it away soon enough. Especially since he knew Steven had been participating in this debacle as well.

"...It's bad enough you took my hat! but then you _**LEAVE ME BEHIND AND CHOOSE TO TAKE SELFIES WITH IT?! SELFIES?!**_ " he glared at them both, shuddering with rage, wanting to kill them both now. He levitated a step closer to them, the roof crackling with lightning.

"Sadie, give me his hat. Go. Run. To the back, somewhere," Steven ordered, biting his lip. He wanted to talk to Bill alone, and was a little afraid Sadie would interfere. "And Bill! leave Sadie alone! it was... it was my idea!" he hesitated in the lie, trying to draw attention away from the girl and to himself.

Bill scoffed, and the lightning crackled even harder, "I know you're lying, kid! that isn't gonna help you one bit!"

Sadie refused to run. She stayed put, "I'm not gonna let you take the blame for what I did, Steven!"

The demon would have been confused by this, but he was simply too angry for any rational thought. His red aura was beginning to consume his golden color.

"Sadie..." Steven took the hat off her head and put it on his own, and then shot his shield from his gem, taking Sadie away with it. He knew it'd hurt her, when he shot it. But he was sure there was no other way. Sadie gasped with some pain, and she soon ended up in the back room, lying on the floor. She groaned, beginning to regret this heavily. The demon then focused entirely on Steven, his brow deeply furrowed with hatred and rage. He growled, and advanced towards the boy another step.

Steven took another step towards Bill as well. "I don't want to hurt you! I just need you to calm down... we'll give you your hat back, and delete the selfies. I know what we did wasn't right... but you gotta be a better person. Look past it. We looked past what you did," he tried, gripping the hat tight.

Bill looked Steven up and down, and then gazed at his hat. His beloved hat. He calmed down a little bit, the red color dissipating and the lightning dispersing bit by bit with what was being said, and narrowed his eye at the boy, trying to scan for lies, "You really mean that? you'll really delete every single one of those pictures?"

"I promise," Steven said honestly, nodding. "It was a bad thing to do, what we did, and I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me... as well as Sadie," he took off the hat and held it out to Bill, biting his lip. Hoping this would really work.

Bill looked at him again, deeply surprised. And, as much as he hated to admit it, even a little bit touched. His eye twitched. He was confounded again. But he didn't go crazier like he swore he was going to do. In fact, there was this little feeling that cropped up. It was tiny, barely noticeable. But it was there, and he was confused by that too.

He shoved all three feelings aside soon enough, and shakily took back his hat. He set it atop his top point again, and, magically and quickly, the lightning dispersed and his red aura gave way to his usual white one. He sighed, "Thanks, kid," and then he crossed his arms, "but don't expect me to forgive you both any time soon!"

Steven shook his head, "Of course not. I wouldn't either. Sadie? please delete all the selfies with Bill's hat in it." He got out his own phone and started deleted them, one by one, turning so Bill could clearly see what he was doing.

Sadie had worked her way back to the main area of the shoppe, having recovered from the pain. She took out her own phone, and began, though she struggled, to delete all those selfies she took, holding her phone in a way so that Bill could see that she was doing it.

The demon observed this, unblinking. It was almost creepy, as Sadie inwardly noted, but he had to so that these two wouldn't pull a fast one on him. They weren't allowed to keep even a single selfie. Steven was alright with that. He had already sent some to Connie, though, and texted her to delete them, if she downloaded them at all.

Sadie was soon done deleting the selfies, frowning. She still didn't like what she had to do, but she figured it was the right punishment for what she did. She announced, "I'm done..."

Bill sighed, rubbing at his top point, "Good. Here's a reminder for you two kids," and then he pointed at his top hat, narrowing his eye, "this hat is mine. No one else's. Got it?"

Sadie nodded with no hesitation. She definitely didn't want to go through this again. Through her mistakes, she almost got herself and Steven killed. She'd probably never forgive herself for this.

Meanwhile, Bill noticed there was a slight hint in his voice that suggested he was tired. He grew somewhat confused by this. He never got tired before. But he supposed he had to take into account that he had only reformed yesterday, and thus using too much power at one time would be rather tiring. He didn't feel so tired as to want to sleep, however, so that was a good thing. They still had a long day ahead of them, and he didn't want to miss anything else.

Steven nodded, "Yeah, we get it. I'm sorry..." he held his arms out. He wouldn't hug Bill. He wanted the triangle to hug him instead, first, or maybe Sadie, if Bill did not.

Bill sneered at him. He still wasn't partial to hugs yet. Still thought they were sappy. Besides, he was still a bit angry about the whole thing. He simply stared Steven down. Sadie put her phone away and hugged Steven instead. She looked at Bill, "Yeah, I'm sorry too..."

The demon huffed, but was still tired, so that was all he did. Aside from staring her down as well. Steven let go of Sadie and watched Bill with curiosity, "Uh... what'cha wanna do now?"

For once, the demon couldn't think of anything else to do. Besides, he had to rest his powers a bit, and thus he had no more plans to cause chaos, sadly. The only thing he had to look forward to now was the news broadcast tomorrow, about the school and his malicious hijinks. He wanted to see that. He eventually shrugged, "Eh, nothing much now."

And then he raised an eyebrow. He remembered something. Steven thought-mentioned Connie while he was deleting those horrid pictures. He then asked, somewhat curiously though he already knew the answer, "Say, you planning on meeting Connie later?"

Sadie said nothing, going back to her job, back to behind the counter. She was still kinda beating herself up for what she did.

"Oh, yeah! she's probably already at the beach, waiting for me!" Steven gasped. He glanced at Sadie, "I gotta go check on Connie... uh, Bill, do you wanna come with me?"

"Sure. Why not?" he mustered up a smile. Fake as it was,—he was still somewhat sour, and tired—it did the job fairly nicely. He wanted to meet Connie too, hopefully get her strung along after he failed with Sadie. Perhaps he wouldn't lose his cool this time either. Or, even better and more accurately, perhaps she wouldn't give him a reason to flip out.

The girl nodded, working up a smile too, however uneasy, "You two have fun."

After all he did, anyone else would have cut Bill loose. But here Steven was, still sticking by his side. It was almost amazing, if even a bit idiotic in the demon's eyes. Granted, the last bit was their fault, completely. But still...

That little feeling came up again, but he crushed it immediately. He didn't allow it to linger at all. Steven took Bill's hand, waved to Sadie, who waved back, and then led him to the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, that happened, huh? I hope you enjoyed this double update!  
> Also, here's a "what could have been": had things played out differently, Bill would have taken his hat back and then the phones by force and snapped them in half. But instead you have this, which is excellent! I played both Sadie and Bill here, and Ace supplied an excellent Steven, as usual. :3  
> See y'all next week with the next one! :D


	9. Meeting Connie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the long wait time, but here it is now. This time there won't be a double chapter update today, cuz.. you'll see when you reach the end of the chapter! :3  
> Enjoy!

Steven, with Bill's hand in his, skipped to the beach, hoping to meet his friend, Connie. Bill was silent all the while, groaning in his head. Soon enough, they rounded the corner, and, indeed, they saw the girl. She was sitting, with some boards beside her, waiting for him. He smiled, "Hey, Connie!"

Bill didn't argue this time about being "manhandled" or whatever. He was a little too tired for that. Plus, he wanted to impress Connie, and he was sure complaining wouldn't quite get what he wanted, especially since this was a first impression. He smiled at her, and tipped his hat, "Y'ello, Connie!"

Connie smiled, "Hey, Steven! I was getting worried that you wouldn't be here! uh... who's this?" she looked at Bill now, raising an eyebrow but smiling.

"This is Bill Cipher. He's staying at the Temple with me for a while," Steven smiled and then let go of Bill.

Bill nodded, and then floated next to her, scanning her with a finger on his "chin". His smile turned into a grin soon enough, "Yep. Bill Cipher's the name! please do wear it out!"

"Nice to meet you. I guess you're one of the Gems, right?" she asked, smiling kindly at him.

Bill laughed, waving a dismissive hand, "Oh, no. I'm something much better though!"

He was reminded then of when he and Steven first met. He wondered how and why they mistook him for a Gem. He hardly looked like any of them, and he hadn't a gem on any of his body parts. It, dare he say again, confused him. He realized he was starting to get confused a lot. And it all started since he washed up on this very beach. He surely hoped he'd stop getting confused soon. He couldn't imagine what it was doing to his repute as an all-knowing dream demon, but he knew it was negative.

"Well, what are you then?" Connie asked, smiling. "If you're so much better than a Gem, what could you possibly be?"

"A dream entity," he half-lied. He kept the fact that he was a demon hidden for several reasons. One of those reasons was that the majority of this world held quite the grudge against them, justified or not. Second was because of people like Sadie and Stan, both of whom tricked him in some way involving his own deals, and the former didn't even know about his demonhood! He didn't want to go through either of those reasons again, or any other reasons, so he left it at that.

She frowned, "I don't understand... what does that entail, exactly? what does it mean to be a dream entity?"

"Well, exactly that. I can enter dreams... and I'm able to manipulate them to my whims too."

He fought the urge to glance at Steven, hoping he wouldn't figure it out. He knew the kid was smarter than he sometimes let on. And he knew Connie was even smarter. He also could do a lot more than he mentioned, but chose to omit them. He didn't want Connie freaking out or asking him to conjure up this and conjure up that. He was still a bit tired from his meltdown earlier. That and he didn't feel like being nice. He never felt like being nice.

"Oh, that's cool," she didn't draw much attention to it, dismissing him as she looked towards the water. "I brought some boogie boards, and my swimsuit. You guys wanna go in the water?"

Steven grinned, "Do I! hold on, I'll run back to the Temple and get on my trunks!" he began literally running back, leaving Connie and Bill alone.

Bill gazed out across the ocean, and a flash of a vague memory of some kind rushed through him. He shuddered at it, and gripped his arms. He remembered being trapped under the water for long periods of time, he remembered traveling across it for even longer. All in his statue form. Because of this, he didn't think he could go through with this. He still needed to rest up anyway.

He shook himself as an answer to her question, and then gazed up at Connie for a second, smiling a bit, "Nah. I think I'll sit this one out. Thanks for asking though."

He was relieved, though, that Connie didn't press into this "dream entity" business, as she seemed often known to do. He was relieved that Steven was distracted. He thought for sure he'd figure it out otherwise. He rubbed his top point, as if wiping sweat off of it, and then looked down at the sand.

"So, uh, dream entity..." she tapped her fingers against the sand. "You ever boogied on a board before?" she asked with a smirk, seeming to forget what Bill said, then continued with, "I brought three on accident, so, if you'd like..." she let him finish the thought.

"I have a name, ya know..." Bill frowned slightly, and he shook himself again, "and, didn't ya hear me? no means no, kid. I'm taking a break from water... I'd seen too much of it, and felt too much of it..."

"Oh, I get it. You're just like Lapis, right?" she asked, smiling, "trapped for a while? Steven told me about how she was in a mirror once..."

Bill nodded, deciding to roll with this, "Yeah... trapped. It's an awful feeling..."

He wasn't lying, however. It really was an awful feeling, despite his having had a limited consciousness, and perhaps even because of that. But he wanted to tug at her heartstrings. However, at the same time, he was wondering... how similar were he and Lapis..? so far two people compared him to her. Could it be why they thought he was a Gem?

"I bet it was," she nodded and patted his back.

Bill shuddered. He was touched again. But he didn't complain. He wouldn't. It would ruin his chances.

"Yep. So... how are you today?" he asked. Again he decided casual conversation would be good here.

"Bored. I had to do a bunch of chores around the house... and then I was worrying I wouldn't get to see Steven."

"Chores, eh?" he focused in on that. He really had nothing to say about her being worried about Steven.

"Yeah. Doing the dishes, taking out the trash..." she shrugged, and then looked in the Temple's direction. "Oh, hey, there's Steven!"

Steven waved as he came down from the Temple, without a shirt on, revealing the gem where his belly button should be. Bill didn't give the gem a second glance. He knew the boy wasn't completely human. The demon waved back, a bit annoyed that he wasn't able to finish his conversation with Connie. But he figured Steven would have had to come back out some time, and now was a good time.

Connie took off her dress, revealing a suit. She ran into the water, laughing, holding a board between her arm and her side. Steven grabbed a board too, laughing, and ran after her, leaving Bill alone. The demon simply took to watching them, crossing his arms.

"C'mon, Bill, get in! the water's nice!" Steven suggested, sitting in there, his board by his side. He smiled at Bill, and splashed the water at Connie. Bill narrowed his eye at him. He wasn't willing to get in the water any time soon, especially after all the time he'd spent trapped in and traveling across it. But he soon found himself looking at the spare board Connie brought along.

"Come on, Billy!" Connie tried, patting the water and unintentionally splashing Steven back.

His eye twitched, and he corrected her, "The name's Bill." He accepted no variations of his name. He sighed. He really didn't want to join them. But then again, he was exceedingly bored. He looked at the board again, and pointed at it, slowly picking it up with his magic. He rubbed at his "chin" with thought now, "Hmm..."

Steven paddled a little more out, and so did Connie. The demon looked at them again, and then back at the board. He alternated his glances for a few minutes, until...

...he broke down and agreed, "Oh, what the heck? it'll give me something to do."

Bill got up and began walking towards the shoreline, the board floating behind him. He shouldn't be scared of mere water. It couldn't do much to him anyway. Steven cheered him on, and Connie had the widest smile, "You can do it, we believe in you!"

He looked at them both again. This felt weird. No one had ever cheered him on before. Aside from his interdimensional friends, but this was different. This wasn't causing chaos. This was having fun in the simplest way, without any bit of chaos involved at all. He tossed the board into the water, making sure it didn't land that far away from him, and then he glanced at the two kids again, looking very uneasy. They didn't stop cheering, though. Steven, who still thought Bill deserved a couple more chances. Connie, who didn't even know how bad Bill was at all, aside from what Steven had told her.

The demon wasn't used to this. Not at all. He was confused once again. He turned away from them for a while, trying to recompose himself and his thoughts. And then he took a deep breath, turned to face them again, and levitated onto the board carefully, ignoring the fact that he was about to go beyond his comfort zone.

Steven paddled up to him, "Come on... get in the water! it's really nice, I promise!" he laughed and plugged his nose, then dove down under the surface. Connie stayed where she was, agreeing with Steven.

Bill watched this, struggling to maintain his balance. The boy made the water move too much. He didn't want to fall in. Didn't want to relive that vague memory. His eye was wide and his legs were shaking due to fear, but to the two kids it looked like he was just trying not to fall. He sighed eventually, "I... I don't know..."

What is this? what are you doing, Bill? the only time you've felt this way was when Stan literally one-punched you and "killed" you. This isn't even tantamount to that! it's just water! it can't do anything to you! show no fear! he attempted to psyche himself up. He looked at the water, eye twitching.

Steven sighed, so did Connie, and moved away, "You don't have to get in if you don't want to. But we could have more fun if you did."

The demon looked at him. And then at Connie. Those faces looked so pitiful. And it was his fault. Wait wait wait, no. Why did he just think that? he was supposed to take delight in the expressions. Besides, this wasn't his fault. He didn't have to take a dip if he didn't want to, just like Steven said. But he'd be bored if he didn't. Very bored.

He gazed at the water again, and steeled himself.

That's it.

He was doing it.

And he'd have no regrets.

He jumped off his board and made a little splash in the water as he touched down. His eye was wide for a while, as he came back up quickly and waded in the blue, but soon he just felt warmth. Nothing was harming him at all, and he wasn't drowning either. They were right.

He was right.

It was just water.

He survived.

He grinned and started chuckling with his hands clasped, almost like a kid on Christmas Eve.

"Way to go, Bill!" Connie raised her arms, laughing.

Steven grinned, "I knew you could do it!"

Bill smiled at them both. He felt a warm sorta feeling for some reason. It wasn't coming from the water, but rather from himself. It was odd. He wasn't used to feeling that way in particular. He then tried his best to ignore it, and fixed his smile into a smug grin, "Yeah, I did it! didn't I? hehe!"

Steven got on his board, chuckling. Connie smiled at the triangle's reaction. Bill splashed around in the water, and then started using his powers to make it dance. It was far from harmful chaos, but it satisfied him enough. It was all he could do right now, anyway.

Steven watched with joy, as did Connie, although she was a bit more awed.

"Just like Lapis..." he whispered.

Bill chuckled, honestly having fun with himself. He wondered why he didn't want to do this in the first place. This was way too fun!

Steven watched him with glee, and Connie started dangling her fingers in the water, still observing with wonder. Bill suddenly grinned mischievously. He had an idea. These two liked to get wet, didn't they? he glanced behind them, and a wave started forming there. It was huge, huge enough to cover a portion of the beach and then some. A shadow loomed over the two kids. The boy looked behind himself, and gasped when he saw the wave. Connie looked back as well and developed an expression of horror and fear on her face.

Bill chuckled, grinning maniacally. He held the wave over their heads, not dropping it yet. However, he was still tired, so the wave slowly, bit by bit, started decreasing in size, but it was too slow to be noticeable. Steven reached up and touched the wave, awed by it. Connie was freaking out, trying to paddle to a safe distance.

"Oh, what's the matter, Connie?" the demon wondered, watching her paddle away. "I thought you wanted some water of fun in your life!"

He also watched Steven, becoming a bit confused again. The boy was awed by his power, and not fearful of it...

He felt that little feeling again, but he shook himself out of it, focusing on Connie once more.

"I..." she watched it, and saw it wasn't moving. Not really, at least. It was safe. But she shook her head, "That wave could come down at any minute! Steven, you gotta get out from under there!"

"Don't worry, Connie!" Steven smiled.

Bill raised his only eyebrow. He kept the wave from falling, but it was still dwindling. It wasn't really that huge anymore. He sighed. He had wanted to cause a tsunami of some kind, and get them trapped under it too for some reason. But why didn't he? was it because it'd cause too much damage too soon?

Connie sighed and swam up to Steven, "You're crazy, you know that?"

"I'm not crazy. You just don't know how waves work. This one isn't big enough to hurt us... even with the size it used to be, it wasn't big enough!" Steven grinned.

Connie pursed her lips, seeming to think on this. Bill deadpanned. He groaned, and then he finally made the now medium-sized wave fall on them, thoroughly soaking them even more than they already were. Steven chuckled, surfacing from it with ease, "See! told ya!"

The girl gasped, and soon started laughing too, having resurfaced as well. Bill crossed his arms, not wanting to laugh and keeping a grumpy look on his eye, but eventually he did. Laughter was infectious, he learned that day.

Steven then splashed Bill. Unfortunately, right in the eye. Bill recoiled, holding his eye. It stung viciously. He screeched, flailing his legs about and kicking up the water, "Owww, my eye! why?! why does that always happen to me?!"

Steven winced, "I really didn't think you'd get hit there... hold on..." he then whistled, and, seemingly out of nowhere, Lion appeared on the shoreline. Steven dove into his mane, and came out a minute later, holding a giant... thing. It looked like a one-eyed goggle. "Don't ask me why this is in there, I don't know."

He got into the water again and handed it to Bill. Lion roared and vanished again. Bill soon recovered, and was blind for a few seconds. He huffed and puffed as he reached for the goggle. His vision cleared up and he grabbed it and put it on, "T..thanks."

Steven smiled, silently returning the thanks. The demon, meanwhile, knew he was wearing a hand-me-down, but he didn't care. It was either this or get his eye destroyed again. And, as payback, he splashed Steven. The boy feigned death at this splash, rather dramatically too.

Connie laughed, and Bill also pointed and laughed at Steven. She then noticed how Bill looked wearing the goggle and laughed even harder, "You look... ridiculous!"

The triangle grinned at Connie, taking the statement in good nature this time. Any other time he would've flipped out. He probably did look ridiculous with this cycloptic goggle on, but he couldn't get a good look at himself right now. The water was rippling too much for it to properly reflect any of them.

Steven soon "recovered" and splashed Connie, who splashed him back. He then came up with an idea, his eyes lighting up. "Oh, I know what we should play! Marco Polo!" he suggested.

"In the ocean?" Connie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" Steven cheered, raising his arms up. He didn't see the huge problem with it.

"I'd... I think I'd like that... how does it go, exactly?" Bill was embarrassed even asking the question. He was supposed to know lots of things. But he also supposed this was inevitable; he had ignored quite a bit of human culture and some of its games, having decided they weren't worth his time. He only focused on the psychology and philosophy, so he could see exactly which strings to pull and when to pull them. Now though... well, he was starting to regret it. But he shoved that down soon enough. He'd never let them know this. Especially not Steven.

"Well," Steven began explaining, "one person is Polo, and the rest are Marco. The Polo closes his eyes—or, in your case, eye—and swims around, calling for Marco. Marcos always have to reply with Polo, and the first person to be tagged by the Polo becomes the Polo. It's really fun!" he smiled.

"But it'd be hard to play in an ocean, if you're the Polo. One person could be going one direction, and one person could be going the other," Connie countered, sighing.

The demon mulled over what they both said, muttering to himself, "So this game is like relying on your other senses then?" he couldn't help feeling the slightest bit evil again. He had the idea to lead them far from shore and deeper into the reaches of the ocean. But then he decided not to, for a reason he had yet to know besides the fact that it was somewhat dimwitted and was a shaky, unfinished plan to begin with. He shrugged eventually, directing this towards Connie and climbing back onto his board, "Let's at least try this, kid. It may be even more fun!"

The girl thought on this, and eventually nodded.

"Alright," Steven smiled, and then shouted, "not it!"

"Not it!" Connie said less than half a second later. She smiled at Bill, "You're it!"

"Heh... alright then..." he closed his eye, and used his magic to move his board around, and after a while shouted, "Marco!"

"Polo!" shouted the two at the same time, from the same general direction.

Bill began wading on his board in that direction, and then shouted again, "Marco!"

"Polo!" the two replied, Steven sounding more to his left, and Connie more to his right.

Suddenly, Bill heard Connie shout, sounding rather upset, "Hey! Steven! fish out of water!"

"...what...?" Bill was confused again, and it showed, however much it could with his eye still closed. He was irritated by how little he knew about this game, if that even was a part of the game.

"Steven's cheating!" she explained, and then argued, "he's out of the water! he should be the next Polo!"

"Nah, my feet are still in the water! see?" he jumped, and it made a splashing sound as he landed.

The demon "looked" in Steven's general direction. He wasn't able to see anything, obviously; for some reason, he was (still) playing by the rules. He then sighed, crossing his arms, "So what's it gonna be? is the kid gonna be Polo now? or do I keep at this?"

Apparently, he mentally noted, the Marcos aren't allowed to be out of the water... he then hummed with some thought.

Connie shook her head at Bill to answer him,—though he was clearly unable to see—cupped her hands and shouted, "Steven! the rules—!"

"Okay, fine, I'll be Polo!" the boy sighed and closed his eyes, heading into the water again, "Marco!"

The demon then opened his eye and jumped off his board and into the water without hesitation, and answered back, swimming a little ways away from the boy and Connie, dragging the board with him via magic, "Polo!"

"Polo!" the girl said after him, grinning and swimming away from Bill.

"Marco!" Steven called, heading, clearly, after Bill.

"Polo!" Bill swam farther away from Steven. He was, unintentionally or not, physically distancing the boy from the shore. And Connie too.

The girl shouted the word a moment after Bill. Steven was hot on pursuit. Bill kept swimming, grinning all of a sudden. Not just because this was fun, but because of something more sinister. The demon was aching to cause at least a little bit of chaos again, even defaulting to and augmenting the plan he previously tossed away. Long story short, he was going to scare the kids out of their skins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! Ace plays a remarkable Connie, doesn't she? and she plays a wonderful Steven as well!  
> So.. yeah. :3  
> This scene is so adorable, and it would be completely adorable if... well, ya know, Bill wasn't such a psychopath. XP  
> So cliffhanger time haha! I'll be back to update this next week, I promise. Till then, comment, and leave kudos if you hadn't already!


	10. Marco Polo Gone Wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a week. So, here's Chapter Ten! I hope you enjoy this!

The three were still playing a fine game of Marco Polo, laughing a little.

"Marco!" Steven was a little off course, heading more towards the shore than towards Bill.

"Polo!" Bill frowned. The boy was heading the wrong direction. He silently groaned to himself.

The water was pushing Steven back. For a few moments, the boy was submerged, before he broke free, gasping for breath. In these gasps, he yelled, "MARCO!"

Connie watched from a safe distance, saying "Polo" in a soft breath so he would hear it but not quite as much. She knew he was after Bill, not her, and she smirked. But she was getting concerned...

Concern, however, wasn't in the demon's dictionary. Bill also smirked at this, but it had a psychopathic quality to it that went unnoticed. He shouted again, cupping his hands, now quite a distance away from both Connie and Steven, "POLO!"

Steven swam as fast as he could towards the triangle, against the barrage of waves crashing against him.

The girl's eyes were wide. "STEVEN! BILL! YOU'RE GETTING TOO FAR FROM SHORE!" Connie shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth so they could hear her better. She was standing in the water, and it reached her waist. How far they were out... it was impossible to tell where the bottom was.

And the waves were even harder against those who wanted to return to the shore.

Bill chuckled, having stopped swimming. He yelled back at her, "You worry too much! we'll be fine!"

Well, he'd be fine. He wasn't so sure about Steven. But he'd probably be fine too. Not that he cared.

"Yeah, Connie! I trust Bill!" Steven managed to shout, which kinda confused Bill himself. It again didn't last.

"No, guys; I'll go get a lifeguard or something! you're in too deep!" Connie then grabbed her board and ran up the shore, and, by the rules of the game, would be known as a fish out of water.

Bill watched Steven flounder towards him, grinning. He was definitely scaring Connie. At least he was scaring one of them, and it satisfied his urge. He stayed out there though, but paddled just a tiny bit closer to the kid.

Steven felt he was getting close. "Marco!"

"Polo!" Bill grinned.

Connie ran through the town, looking for anyone who could help. She went to the town's pool, which was open that day, and actually jam-packed, a stark contrast to the beach.

"Lifeguard, lifeguard!" she shouted, and spotted one, sitting atop her little high chair. She proceeded to explain everything.

The lifeguard in question was a redhead, who wore a blue baseball cap with a similarly-colored pine tree etched onto it and a one-piece plaid swimsuit. Her hair flowed down to her waist. She stared down at Connie, becoming slightly concerned when she took in everything the girl said, "Oh, that's no good, man. I'll come help!"

"Yeah, Steven's in real trouble! he's way out there..." Connie neglected to explain about Bill. She felt Steven had that honor. She hardly understood the little dude herself, and didn't want to give the wrong vibe about him or whatever. Plus, this girl might bail on her if she started blabbing about a talking and walking triangle with one eye.

The teenager nodded, and then climbed down from the tower, joining Connie. She then looked over at the other guards and whistled. Once she had attracted one of them over to her, she explained, "I'm taking a quick break to help someone out over in the beach. Think you can take over for a bit?"

The guy nodded, and answered with a New Jersey accent, "Sure thing," and began climbing up the tower to keep watch on things.

"Thanks, dude!" she then turned back towards Connie, a cool but concerned smile on her face, "lead the way."

Connie ran down to the beach, followed by the redhead, and then pointed to the ocean, where Steven and Bill waded, far out from the shore.

"Marco!" Steven called again, and it echoed across the waves, back to Connie and Wendy.

"Polo!" Bill called back, which made Wendy's hair stand on end. She knew that voice...

"Oh, yeah," Connie began, "he took a game of Marco Polo way too far. Forgot to mention that part." She didn't specify who it was with, however.

Wendy soon snapped herself out of that trance though, before Connie noticed, and shook her head softly, "I see... no one should play that game in the ocean, man..."—to which Connie nodded with fervor.

In her head, she was now thinking of how she could rescue them both. She was strong, sure,—her dad's apocalyptic training made sure of that—but she wasn't sure if she could brace those waves. They looked really strong and wild.

Connie handed her her boogie board, "Here, this might help. I don't know if it will though..."

Wendy took the board, and gave Connie her hat, "It's good enough, dude. Thanks." She tossed the board into the water and then hopped onto it. She lay down and then proceeded to arm-paddle fairly quickly towards the two. Connie watched, holding Wendy's hat against her chest, eyes wide with and body language conveying panic and hope.

Steven finally tagged Bill and opened his eyes, "Haha! I got ya!" a second later he gasped, looking around, "Look how far away the shore is!" Steven shuddered, and began to think of a plan... he and Bill could do what he did with Connie once...

He could form a bubble around them, and then they could work their way up to the shore, walking. But would that work, in the water?

"Yeah, yeah. Far away from the shore," Bill repeated lackadaisically, as if he didn't care. Which he didn't. He crossed his arms, "Yes, we are."

Steven frowned slightly, eyes widening. The demon grinned for a split second. He was finally scaring Steven. And now wanted to scare him more. He then read Steven's thoughts, and frowned, "What if that bubble pops, kid?"

"If it does, we'll still be closer to the shore, and the waves will push us back home!" Steven explained with hope, now smiling a little, to which Bill responded with a twitch of his brow. The boy soon began to second guess this, "But then again... what if we can't get it to move? or worse, it brings us farther down?" the smile was gone now.

"Exactly..." Bill's frown deepened, even though inwardly he was enjoying sapping the hope away from the usually cheerful child. He sighed, pretending every emotion that was appropriate to this situation, "It's a fool's errand, kid. Too much trial and error that could mean our lives if done wrong."

Wendy fought against the waves the best she could, the board she was on providing little strength, but it was helping. Soon she was only a few yards away.

"You can shrink, right?" Steven asked quickly, before he changed his mind, shaking his head. "You know what, I know you're going to hate this, but—" right then and there, he bubbled Bill up, and held him over his head, up above the waves. His legs were getting tired... and he felt a pang of regret as he saw Bill's board drift out, now that the demon's concentration on it was broken. Oh, well. At least he still had his own.

Bill growled, pressing against the bubble with his hands; he couldn't break free no matter what. He let out a small, albeit slightly teed, "What the...?"

Steven was right. He hated this. Just what was the kid thinking?

Wendy was pushed back a little ways away by the rampant waves, but she didn't let this stop her, still pressing on with a determined expression on her face. She wasn't going to let Connie down. Wasn't going to let Steven and his playmate drown. Hell, she survived the first two phases of Weirdmageddon. She'd certainly survive this.

"I'm sorry, Bill; I'm just gonna... hold on..." he pressed the bubble against his stomach, squishing it a bit; not a big problem as Bill was as skinny as a pencil. He saw and then began to paddle towards the redhead woman, holding an arm out for her to grab.

Bill grumbled quietly,—all he could see was disgusting skin, and the fact that he couldn't get out of this claustrophobic space was pretty annoying as well—as Wendy took deep breaths and grabbed the boy's hand. She, of course, couldn't see what Steven was holding. But she somewhat knew. He had to have been with someone anyway to play a game of Marco Polo. Plus... that voice...

She shook herself out of the trance again and began to pull him onto her board. It was hard, but not too hard, and then she grabbed the other one, turned this board around and started making her way back to the shoreline. The journey back was much more difficult, the waves pushing against her. Some water got in her mouth and she quickly coughed it out.

Steven helped the best he could, but there was little he could do to help. Wendy kept paddling against the force of the waves, thankful nonetheless for Steven's help. Soon they were a few yards away from the shore, and Connie could now properly see them. She was smiling with great gratitude. Steven planted his feet on the sea floor and walked the rest of the way up, dragging Wendy on her board along with him. When he finally reached dry ground, he let go of the board, and popped the bubble holding Bill.

"Steven! I'm so glad you're okay!" Connie shouted, the pine tree hat now atop her head. She ran to him, and hugged him tight, which he gladly returned.

"I should have listened to you..." he muttered.

Wendy panted, kneeling a little and staring at the sand, "Whew... you did it, Wendy..."

Bill shook himself, and then stretched to loosen up his limbs. He crossed his arms, staring at the two hugging, and then glanced over in the redhead's direction. His eye widened. He never thought she'd be here.

Wendy finally looked up and her expression hardened when she saw Bill, absolutely ignoring how ridiculous he looked wearing that goggle. She never thought he'd be here, even though she heard that voice. He was a statue when she last saw him. Neither said a word just yet, just taking to staring each other down. A few whispers passed between Steven and Connie before they separated.

"Uh, here's your hat back," Connie handed Wendy her hat, smiling cheerfully and gratefully.

Wendy snapped out of her trance again, and took her hat back, placing it on her head, "Thanks, man." She then stood up, hands on her hips as she resumed the gaze.

"Bill, are you alright?" Steven asked softly, now realizing he had forgotten to ask when they got back to land, overcome with emotion.

Bill glanced at Steven, and nodded, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, kid," and also resumed his gaze.

 _What is she/he doing here..?_ they thought at the same time, narrowing their eyes simultaneously too.

"Do you two know each other or something?" Connie asked softly, standing by Wendy, frowning as she glanced between the two. Steven, standing by Bill, did the same.

"Yeah," Wendy answered with a slight frown on her face, grabbing her hair and wringing out the water, "we do. We've got quite a history..."

Bill merely nodded and then glared at her for a split second before he fixed it up into a barely neutral expression. He didn't want Wendy ruining this for him, and he didn't want to ruin it himself.

"Oh? details, details!" Steven said, gasping, somehow completely ignoring the dirty looks and imagining the two as friends.

Wendy looked at Steven, the side of her lip twitching. She shook her head, "You don't wanna know. Trust me on that, man."

Bill felt relieved at this. The fact that Wendy wouldn't tell Steven what he did was a serendipity to him. But imaginations ran wild with children... but, knowing Steven, he'd probably just imagine a formerly friendly relationship turning sour over the simplest things. With Connie, however...

He spared the girl a quick glance.

Connie seemed confused, "But he was a statue... right, Steven?" she looked to Steven, frowning.

"Uh, yeah, that's right. He was. What's your point?" he asked, glancing towards her.

"He wasn't before, man... he was alive..." Wendy stated simply, deciding to be vague for a reason. These two young teenagers simply didn't need to know the horrors of Weirdmageddon.

Bill stayed quiet, narrowing his eye farther. But he was again grateful. With her unwillingness to provide specific information, his plan would succeed. Definitely and absolutely. And she didn't even know it.

"And then you froze him, right?" Connie asked, frowning, unsure how she felt about this. Wendy nodded, but it was more of a ghost of a nod. She had that expression on her face, much like that of a veteran who suffered from PTSD.

"How did you become a statue, anyway?" Steven asked, realizing he had never asked Bill that either.

Bill unintentionally glared at Steven, feeling angry again. The feeling of vengeance crept upon him again, and one of the people who'd had a hand in destroying him was here, and was an easy picking. But he soon snapped himself out of this, realizing he couldn't kill her right now, groaning a little and clenching his fist. He took a deep breath and then let it out with this statement, underlying it with a bit of unintentional venom, "Like Wendy said, kid, you don't need to know."

And it was said in a way that highly recommended that Steven or Connie not ask any more questions about it. Or else...

"But why did you freeze him?" Connie asked Wendy, ignoring Bill's threat. Steven freaked out inwardly, and interrupted softly,

"Hey, hey, that doesn't matter, Connie. We're here now, and it doesn't matter where we came from, what we may or may not have done."

Connie looked at him, and then nodded, resigning somewhat. Bill stared—no, glared—at the girl for a while, wondering if he should carry out the "or else", but then sighed, rubbing at his top point and losing the glare, trying to get his mind off this. He was, again, grateful that Steven interrupted. He nodded then, but didn't say a word.

Wendy allowed a small smile, and she agreed, summing up what Bill was probably thinking in one word, "True..."

She then sighed inwardly of relief, Finally... we're off the subject...

However, Bill knew Connie's curiosity wasn't gonna be squelched so easily. She'd find ways to figure this out, even if she had to journey out to Gravity Falls herself. But she couldn't do that without help. And he certainly wasn't going to help her. He couldn't anyway.

"So, uh... where'd you get your hat?" Connie asked Wendy.

Wendy's smile turned genuine. She seemed much more willing to explain this, "From a friend. Dipper Pines. We traded hats when he had to leave Gravity Falls."

Bill stayed silent, floating around. A rather sick and old seagull flew across his line of sight, and he narrowed his eye at it. It would be the perfect way to release at least a little bit of his anger. So he concentrated, and his magic started strangling it to death. It soon fell into the waters, dead, and the whole scene looked like it just had a fatal heart attack. The demon sighed, a bit calmer now, and smirked a little.

"Gravity Falls?" Connie asked softly. "I feel like I've heard of this before..."

"That's cool! Connie, we should get hats, and trade them any time we meet!" Steven said, grinning and hugging her. The girl laughed.

Wendy's eyes widened, and she caught Connie's attention again, "Wait... you have?"

Bill glanced over at the girl, waiting for her answer. He again rolled his eye when he saw the two hug. He still thought it was sappy and pathetic.

"I feel like I have, at least. Gravity Falls, Gravity Falls, Gravity Falls..." Connie frowned. "Where have I heard that name before?" she asked herself.

"It'll come back to you later!" Steven told her, smiling.

"Maybe it will," Wendy smiled as well. "But I suggest you not research too much into it. There's a reason I'm not telling you much."

Bill smirked slightly. Again, this was helping him. Connie frowned. She would ask why, but felt she would find out when she remembered where she had heard the name. Wendy sighed of relief, glad that the questions about the place were over; she gave Connie and Steven back their boards, realizing she had forgotten to give them back in the first place. She glanced at Bill again, suppressing a shudder. Bill, meanwhile, suppressed a glare. He looked over at the kids, and decided to speak up again, "So, what's next?"

"Well," Connie began, taking back the board, "we lost one of the boards... so I'm going to have to tell my parents that. And it's getting late, anyway. I gotta head home. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow, Steven!" Connie smiled and waved, taking back Steven's board as well, and then walked away.

Steven sighed, murmuring a goodbye, as he watched her leave, saddened by her disappearance. Bill waved back, grinning, "Bye, Connie! it's been fun! really!"

Wendy also waved, shouting out her goodbyes. The girl seemed nice. She regretted not asking for her phone number so they could talk more. But Beach City was a small town, so, provided that she actually went out frequently and not solely because of school and her job, she'd be bound to run into her again.

Yes... she, regrettably or not, had turned into a sort of recluse. She sighed, and then turned to Steven, smiling at him to comfort him, "There's always a tomorrow, dude."

And then Bill actually agreed, still grinning, "Definitely!"

Wendy stared at him and nodded this shock away. She knew why he was suddenly buttering up to her. To make himself look good in front of Steven. She wanted to frown, but kept smiling. She wanted now to explain, but she said nothing. The boy didn't need his innocence destroyed. Which, again, was what Bill... well, you get it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, Ace plays a wonderful Steven and Connie! and I played Bill, as well as the wham character whose name starts with the first letter of "wham"! I hope I played her well! nyeh heh heh, bet you weren't expecting that, were you? anyway, I hope you enjoyed! please leave a comment! I love reading and responding to them.

**Author's Note:**

> I was Bill Cipher, and Ace, my friend, was Steven and Connie. Hope you enjoyed, and please leave a comment! this story is already "finished", so there will be updates every few days or week. Also, there will be double updates every now and then!


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